


cherry bomb

by iamalekza



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Jamie and the Poltergeists, Lesbian Panic, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also tons of shameless smut, also vocalist!jamie lives in my head rent-free, and friends being friends being friends, and now i hope she lives in yours too, and there are SONGS and SINGING and SWEETNESS, dani's simping, dani's surprisingly bold when she wants to be, edmund who???, gratuitous references to 70's 80's and 90's rock music, i can't angst with these two it has to be FLUFF, jamie's a confident bastard, jamie's in a small-town rock band, joan jett songs but make it jamie taylor, like damn dani, like literally chapters two to four are just smut and sweet and SMUT, literally any rock song but make it jamie taylor, literally i'm so soft for them right now holy shit, literally they are killing me with the sweetness, mikey and jamie are insanely attractive siblings, mikey is in this!, the runaways songs but make it jamie taylor, they're smutty but they're also sweet, this is just me crying as i start another fic, with good fucking hair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:29:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29236842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamalekza/pseuds/iamalekza
Summary: Dani thinks something crackles between their shared looks, turbulent and magnetised, and suddenly the brunette is turning to face her fully, just in time for the chorus of the song—the chorus that, paired with the singer's daring look, nearly kills Dani on the spot."Do you wanna touch?Do you wanna touch?Do you wanna touch me there, where?"A thought comes, unbidden but entirely honest, blaring in Dani's ears: Yes.— 🎸 —Dani's a down on her luck teacher from America who just wants to not have to worry about making rent for another month. Jamie's the vocalists of a rock-and-roll cover band who isn't necessarily trying to make it big, they just want to have fun and see where life takes them. They meet in a tiny dive called the Manor and—well, the rest is history.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 710
Kudos: 556





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i decided to add author notes at the start to give you all a head's up on what songs will be sung in the chapter, since it won't always be mentioned. i definitely recommend that you all pull the songs up on spotify (or your music player of choice) and give them a listen as they pop up in the chapter. 👉😉👉
> 
> songs:  
> 🎸 do you wanna touch me - joan jett and the blackhearts  
> 🎸 call me - blondie

Dani ducks into the tiny, off-the-road dive with an artfully-censored curse aimed at the pouring heavens. Of course, she'd have such terrible luck. Given her track record, it's almost routine: fail another interview, question her life, figure out if she has enough to make rent for the month, and drink it all away. Really, Dani shouldn't be surprised; she's been living the same, cursed existence for five months since leaving _No Thank You_ , Iowa. 

Although, some days, Dani wonders whether forcing herself into that tiny, heteronormative box might be the only thing left for her to do. Clearly, moving into the middle of nowhere across the Atlantic isn't doing well for her. She's running out of luck, if she even has any left considering her circumstances, so would it be so bad to waltz back into her mother's house and pretend that she didn't just leave her best friend at a restaurant when he'd proposed—

 _No_ , Dani reprimands herself as she slides into one of the vacant stools lining the bar. _Dani Clayton would never_.

As easy as that life would be on the surface, she knows, deep down, that she wouldn't be happy. Eddie might've been her best friend since forever, and then some, but she knows that she'll be miserable with him. She doesn't love him, not in the way he wants her to love him, and the past five months is proof enough that, circumstances be damned, at least she doesn't have to keep living a lie anymore. Sure, she's unemployed and running out of her savings, but Dani's still happier than she's ever been.

She's free. 

_And you'll do well to remember that_ , she adds firmly, calling the attention of the barkeep and ordering the largest mug of the cheapest beer they have. _Besides, anything that's happened today isn't something that can't be washed down by a nice, cool_ —

The sound of the crowd erupting into cheers causes Dani to startle out of her thoughts, hand flitting away from the glass.

People have filtered onto the tiny stage tucked into the back of the dive, turned away from the crowd as they fuss over their instruments.

"Go Jamie," someone from the crowd hollers, projecting the cheer through palms cupped over a mouth, and one of the musicians turns over her shoulder and—oh. 

_Oh_. 

Dani thinks she might be, excuse her French, _fucked_. 

Rich, brown curls frame the woman's chiselled, angular face as it teeters on the line between styled and unkempt, several locks clinging greedily onto the rise of lightly-flushed cheeks. Her lips are slightly parted to herald a lopsided grin, all effortless charm and audacity, and… 

Dani sucks in a breath and tears her eyes away, braving several mouthfuls of her cheap drink to wash away the burning underneath her skin. God, she needs to get a grip; she should be focusing on the woes of her life and how to get out of it, not some insanely attractive woman who's looking right at her. 

Dani blinks. Blinks again. Then, she nearly chokes on her drink when the realisation all but slaps her across the face. 

The aforementioned insanely attractive woman is, indeed, looking right at her with one eyebrow arched, perhaps having seen Dani's mad dash to empty her glass, which is, really, a piss-poor attempt at keeping from letting her jaw hit the floor—which, she figures, the woman must know now, because she's looking at Dani with such a distinctly smug expression on her face that Dani, for all her past experience in pretending to play it cool, immediately feels her face erupt in an embarrassed flush, so she turns her face away to, maybe, cower and hide forever.

 _God, Dani, keep it together_.

"Well," a drawled voice greets from the stage, and Dani can't help but turn and find the woman again, watching interestedly as she tests a few notes on her guitar. "Guess the night's brought us back here, hasn't it?" 

_Oh, good lord, her voice._

"Reckon we don't need much of an introduction, seein' the look on you lot's faces," the woman continues with a rasped chuckle, and Dani feels the sound thrum in her veins. "But, since we seem to have a few new folks 'round here, figured we might as well, yeah?"

Cheers erupt from the invested crowd, clearly familiar with the band already. Several faces are already glued onto the stage, hands banging against tables, but Dani can barely hear them from the blood rushing in her ears. The only thing that manages to permeate the white noise is the woman's voice, all deep and smoky and husked, each word dripping with ease off of her tongue.

"We're Jamie and the Poltergeists, kickin' off the night with our favourite song by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts." The woman looks at her. And _winks_. And, god, the static that snaps in place of Dani's veins electrify her. "I've got a question for all the lovely ladies in the crowd tonight: _do you wanna touch me_?" 

The drummer starts the count, " _Four, three, two, one_ ," and Dani's every nerve ending is on _fire_. 

When the guitars join the beat, she feels it in her bones, the way the symphony shakes and shatters the quiet around them, filling the air with a clash of energy that Dani has never been privy to before.

She doesn't even bother to hide her fascination when the brunette leans closer to the microphone stand, teeth glinting wickedly as she starts to sing:

" _We've been here too long tryin' to get along,_  
 _Pretendin' that you're oh, so shy._  
 _I'm a natural ma'am, doin' all I can,_  
 _My temperature is runnin' high._ "

Dani watches, unabashedly entranced, as the corners of the woman's lips hitch up as she sings, flashing the crowd of stomping feet and clapping hands the kind of grin that Dani's hometown would, without hesitation, label as absolutely scandalous. Dani however, always the odd one out, finds herself impossibly charmed by the open, playful expression on the woman's face, incapable of even returning her attention to the drink she's been craving for days. 

" _Cry at night, no one in sight,_  
 _An' we got so much to share._  
 _Talking's fine, if you got the time,_  
 _But I ain't got the time to spare, yeah._ "

Worse, still, is when the brunette's eyes return to her, a thin ring of burning hazel that roots Dani to her seat.

Dani thinks something crackles between their shared looks, turbulent and magnetised, and suddenly the brunette is turning to face her fully, just in time for the chorus of the song—the chorus that, paired with the singer's daring look, nearly kills Dani on the spot. 

" _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch me there, where?_ " 

A thought comes, unbidden but entirely honest, blaring in Dani's ears: _Yes_. 

Her face burns red under the low light of the bar, under the weight of the woman's stare, under the rasp of her voice as she repeats the line, under the insistent pounding of ' _yes_ ' hammered into every inch of her body. It's as if, all her life, she's been suspended in a vat of cool, of calm, of complacency, but now she's been released, feeling sunlight for the very first time in twenty-five years. 

Distantly, Dani's grateful that she's seated; her knees seem to have given from the intensity of the woman's eyes, eyes that are keenly locked on her, and the song of choice belted with a dangerous, drawled, deadly confidence. 

" _Every girl an' boy needs a little joy,_  
 _All you do is sit an' stare._ "

Dani is floored. Absolutely _floored_. 

" _Beggin' on my knees, baby, won't you please?_  
 _Run your fingers through my hair._ "

And then she thinks she might be choking a little, and her skin feels a little too tight for her body, and those same eyes are still stuck on her as the brunette's fingers scatter across the strings of her guitar.

" _My, my, my whiskey and rye,_  
 _Don't it make you feel so fine?_  
 _Right or wrong, don't it turn you on,_  
 _Can't you see we're wastin' time, yeah?_

 _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch me there, where?_ " 

Breathing? Dani doesn't think she's familiar with the concept anymore, her breaths coming in hard and shallow as her skin buzzes with energy. This woman, singing and staring like she's unravelling Dani from all the way across the dive, is driving Dani's heartrate into a frenzy, and, God, she's never felt like this before. 

" _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch?_  
 _Do you wanna touch me there, where, there, yeah?_ " 

It's like she's made of nothing but electricity, snapping and crackling and fizzling in the air, a bolt of lightning piercing through the dark skies, summoned forth by the woman on the stage. 

In the end, Dani has to wrap her fingers around the edge of her stool to steel herself, incredibly tense as the woman walks around the stage and repeats the same line, over and over, asking, daring—

The song comes to a close, fading into a quiet, and then the crowd goes _wild_. 

Finally, _finally_ , Dani manages to tear her eyes away from the woman on the stage, instead landing on the forgotten drink and, breathlessly, emptying it in one straight pull. It's only then that she realises that her throat is dry.

"You lot liked that, huh?" 

Dani can't help it when her eyes return to the stage, watching as the woman tosses back a drink from her flask, and—no, Dani is definitely not looking at the way her throat bobs with each swallow.

"Well, I'm afraid we aren't done yet, though I think I see a few faces eager to have some more," the woman laughs, motioning her flask to a woman in the far corner of the room, and then she's tucking her flask back into the pocket of her jeans. "'Fore we do, though, allow me to introduce our beautiful band to all the fresh faces of the Manor. We've got the lovely Rebecca Jessel on the rhythm tonight—"

The crowd hollers as Rebecca, dressed impeccably stylish, does a playful curtsy.

"—the ladies' favourite, Owen Sharma, on the bass—"

More hollering as the man with the four-string guitar dips his head in acknowledgement, moustache twitching amusedly. 

"—my very own lovely brother, Michael Taylor, on the drums—" 

The crowd lets out an overjoyed whoop as Michael, brown curls and dashing charm, hits a beat on his drumset, a teasing ' _ba-dum-tss_ '. 

"—and, yours truly, Jamie Taylor."

The crowd whoops and howls, and Dani finds herself roaring with them. This seems to catch Jamie's attention, eyes sweeping back to where she's seated, and though Dani's limbs still tense a little at the burning look, she flashes a wide smile like the rest of the crowd, eager now to hear more.

Jamie's lips crack open to reveal a devilish grin. 

"Y'know, patrons and purveyors of the Manor, I've always had a thing for blondes myself," Jamie husks into the microphone, and Dani feels something warm and pulsing settle low in her stomach. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is 'Call Me' by Blondie!" 

Jamie whirls around, nodding towards the rest of her bandmates as Michael heralds the start of the song with a run through his drumset, and then the rest of them jump in. She spends the intro turned away, but when she finally faces the crowd, Dani thinks she can't possibly be imagining it when those hazel eyes immediately find hers. 

" _Colour me your colour, baby, colour me your car._  
 _Colour me your colour, darling, I know who you are._  
 _Come up off your colour chart, I know where you're comin' from._  
 _Call me on the line,_  
 _Call me, call me any, anytime._  
 _Call me, my love,_  
 _You can call me any day or night._  
 _Call me._ "

Jamie's body moves with the song, one foot bending and tapping with the beat, hips pivoting with every riff of her strings, curls bouncing around her face as she nods in perfect synchronisation. With one of her hops, a lock falls to dangle in the middle of her face, and she lets it hang there, lets the tip brush against the perfect cupid's bow of her upper lip when she beams. 

" _Cover me with kisses, baby, cover me with love._  
 _Roll me in designer sheets, I'll never get enough._  
 _Emotions come, I don't know why, cover up love's alibi._  
 _Call me on the line,_  
 _Call me, call me any, anytime._  
 _Call me, oh, my love,_  
 _When you're ready we can share the wine._  
 _Call me._ "

Between one of her riffs, Jamie looks at Dani and raises her hand, extends her thumb and pinky, and holds it to the side of her face to gesture a telephone before winking— _again_ , and, _dear god_ , that wink will be the death of her. 

" _Oh, she speaks the languages of love,_  
 _Oh, amore, chiamami, chiamami._  
 _Oh, appelle-moi mon cherie, appelle-moi._  
 _Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any way;_  
 _Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any day._ "

And it's certainly not lost on Dani, the way Jamie smoothly changes the pronoun, grinning impishly when it has the desired effect on the howling crowd, clattering glasses and utensils together in an effort to join the beat. 

Even then, though, Jamie's eyes are magnetised to snap back to her, and when all breath spills out from Dani's lungs from the gravity behind it, she finds something else in the space it leaves behind: a familiarity, a kinship, but also a need, a want, a whisper, a desire, a question, a response. 

Braving the look Jamie's flashing her, Dani finds fragments of herself again, reflective pieces of glass that remind her that, for all the trouble she's found herself in across the ocean, _this_ is who she is, _this_ is who she's always been—Karen, Judy, and Edmund can't take this away from her, because it _is_ her. 

Perhaps it says a lot about the cage she grew up in, for her to realise this as she sways in her seat to the song the band plays, losing herself to the music in the middle of English countryside. It takes only a fleeting second for her to ascertain her identity between each beat, but, oh, what a beautiful second it is. 

— 🎸 —

Eventually, the Poltergeists' setlist does come to an end.

Dani, barely her second glass in, has spent the past hour or so watching the band and revelling in their enthusiasm, but as they finally filter off the stage, something resembling dread sinks in her stomach like a stone. 

Right. _Rent_.

With a loud, disappointed sigh, Dani turns to face the bar again, squinting down at the journal she'd brought out between songs, fingers digging for her pencil in her bag. She doesn't know whether she's happy or upset when she does find it, but she puts the charcoal to paper anyway, lighting up her phone and returning to the very last tab she'd been on that morning: job listings.

She's barely pencilled in her third prospect when she feels a weight settle into the vacant stool beside her, preceded by the smell of smoke, whiskey, and— _flowers_?

Dani turns, almost comically slow, to find the brunette eyeing her observantly, head tipped to one side, lips pulled into a toothy smirk. 

If she had been beautiful on stage, she's without a doubt _gorgeous_ up close, and Dani has to suck in a breath before she forgets that she kind of, _maybe_ , definitely needs oxygen to live. 

The woman, Jamie, has a beautiful mop of curls the colour of rich umber, several locks sticking defiantly to her temples glistening with a light sheen of sweat. Closer, now, Dani can see the amused glint of her hazel eyes, ignited by the adrenaline of her performance, and Dani thinks they might very well devour her if she keeps looking.

"Hey," Jamie greets, dipping her head slightly in introduction.

"Hi," Dani offers back, feeling her throat suddenly tighten when she remembers the way she had been staring—is _still_ staring—at the woman. What if it had been rude? God, is she being rude right now? "I, uh, sorry, I just—you were really good up there!" 

Wow. _Smooth_. 

Still, Jamie lets out an amused chime of laughter, raising her hand to scratch the back of her neck, and it's—it's a far cry from her earlier aplomb, but even _this_ look suits her astoundingly well, and Dani… well, it was never really a question of whether Dani was gay, it was only ever how incredibly gay she was. 

Which she seems to have the answer to now: _a lot_.

"Kinda have to be good if I'm doin' what I'm doin'," Jamie answers with a soft chuckle before offering her hand. "Reckon you've heard the name on stage, but… Jamie Taylor."

"Dani Clayton," Dani says, flashing the woman a wide smile as she reaches forward and meets her grasp.

Jamie's palm is rough and calloused against her own, and Dani quickly finds that she _likes_ the texture of it, _likes_ the way it brushes against hers with certainty. It's warm and it's solid and it's offered instead of demanded. 

"Don't think I've seen you 'round here before," Jamie eventually comments once their hands have separated, wrapping around her own glass of lager. "Figure I'd remember if I did, really."

Dani feels her face flush at that, and it most certainly has less to do with the beer and more to do with the dark, hazel eyes regarding her. 

"Yeah, I—I just moved here a couple of months back, actually? First time I've been here in this establishment, though," Dani responds with a sheepish smile, internally cursing herself that she hadn't checked it out sooner.

"Well, now; what's a pretty American like you doin' in a sleepy little town like Bly?" Jamie arches an eyebrow at her from over the rim of her drink, teasing and playful. "No offence to you, Dani Clayton, but Bly isn't exactly renowned for its—well, its anythin', really."

"Yeah, I'm realising," Dani laughs, motioning helplessly towards her phone. "Apparently, they have more teachers than they know what to do with."

"A teacher?" Jamie makes a note of surprise before murmuring, "Wish I had a teacher like you when I was in school. Probably would've stuck around—" 

" _Please_ ," Dani snorts, although she'd be lying if she said the compliment doesn't make her blush pleasantly. Lying if she said she doesn't _preen_. 

"—because you look very skilled at your craft," Jamie continues with a waggish grin, tutting softly. "Miss Clayton. Shoulda let me finish."

 _Do it_ , she thinks. _Just do it._

"Should let you finish, huh?" Dani pointedly raises her eyebrow, watches with a growing sense of courage as Jamie's gaze follows it, then lands on her eyes, before boldly dipping to her mouth. Experimentally, she sinks her teeth lightly into her lower lip, and she delights when she sees Jamie's nostrils flare at the sight.

 _Do it_ , she thinks again. _Take the leap_. 

Giving in has never felt so freeing before. 

Dani leans forward, watches in fascination as red creeps up Jamie's chest and colours the skin there. "Let me make it up to you?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while i'm taking a wee bit of a break from the runaway bride au to figure out where we should be headed, a thought came to me while listening to joan jett and the blackhearts' "do you wanna touch me"—
> 
> well, it was less like a thought and more like a truck careening into my thoughts, mowing down everything else, and SCREAMING for my attention.
> 
> picture this:
> 
> me, working on my silly little laptop, switching between joan jett and the runaways and blondie on spotify to keep from knackering myself out, and then—WHAM, BAM, THANK YOU MA'AM! "do you wanna touch me" plays, and the image of vocalist!jamie singing it and making eyes at dani across the room LEAPS into my head, and i, colossally useless lesbian that i am, was whipping out my phone and google docs in seven seconds flat. 
> 
> if you haven't listened to this song, PLEASE DO SO. better if you listen to it and imagine jamie. i promise you that it's absolutely life-changing. like, seriously, i'm beggin' ya, it will blow your mind.
> 
> and yes, that's an E rating there, folks. that's right! we are GOING THERE and it will be DELIGHTFUL. 
> 
> (we're going there as early as the next... three-ish chapters So)
> 
> EDIT:  
> SHIT I ALMOST FORGOT! i made a playlist for jamie and the poltergeists so if anybody wants to give it a whirl, check it out here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3PxTz757pmMzwT2XPVfbSw?si=Vi2FyoGGSLWVTN0eNvBN4A


	2. Chapter 2

Some days, Dani curses Lady Fortune.

Whenever she gets another glaring job rejection, misses the last ride home, listens to the sound of her phone hitting pavement for the umpteenth time, or spills coffee onto her shirt before she can even get out the door, she can't help but throw her fist at the sky and bemoan what she could've done to deserve such rotten luck. 

Some days, Dani curses Lady Fortune… but, other days, much like today, she sings praises to it. 

Or, perhaps, she's singing praises to another, more attractive woman. 

A woman like Jamie Taylor, dripping sin as she presses Dani back into the door after they've closed it behind them, mouth sliding hotly down the column of her neck before licking back up again, causing Dani's body to erupt in wanton shivers. 

Other days, much like today, Dani sings praises to Lady Fortune—or to Jamie—for deciding to live in the flat directly above a dive called the Manor. Quite fortuitous, really, that it had taken only a tug on her wrist and a flight of stairs to land herself here.

Dani pulls at the curls threaded between her fingers, bringing Jamie's mouth up and crashing it against hers.

She feels alive with each pass of Jamie's lips against her own, needy and electric, and Dani groans at the taste of smoke and mint on Jamie's tongue when it pushes roughly past her teeth and _in,_ smothering the next whine that slips through the back of her throat when Jamie yanks her closer by the belt loops, hips catching against hips, murmuring, "You sure?" 

"Yes," she answers with a nod, not trusting herself to say more at the moment because she thinks she might be on fire. 

Well, no—she doesn't think, she _knows_ she's ablaze with want, humming with it when Jamie's hands move from her jeans to tuck playfully into the hem of it, inching dizzyingly slow to the middle until her thumb is barely brushing against the curls between her legs.

"Fuck," Dani chokes out, throwing her head back against the door, and Jamie moves her mouth from her lips to her jaw, teeth flashing to nibble there and sending Dani's hips careening forward with anticipation, an action that earns her Jamie's thigh sliding expertly between both of hers. 

" _Fuck_ ," Dani repeats with more insistence, gasping when Jamie moves closer and presses her thigh up and oh— _oh_ —it feels so right, the way the sensation explodes from between Dani's legs, crawling through every inch of skin and sending her mind reeling with desire. "God, _Jamie_ —" 

"Yes, Dani?" The sultry thickness of Jamie's voice betrays the innocent tone she uses, grinning wickedly when she leans back. One hand untucks from the hem of Dani's jeans before tracing a sensual path up, slipping under her shirt and dancing along the quivering muscles of her stomach. "You tryin' to say somethin'?" 

In response, she shamelessly grinds down on Jamie's thigh, watching delightedly when Jamie's lips fall open. "I mean, if you want to just talk," Dani starts teasingly, pressing her torso back against the door but continuing each motion of her hips, loving the way Jamie's other arm darts out and wraps around her lower back to encourage her. "We can always just talk—" 

Jamie interrupts her with another wet kiss, groaning deliciously as she urges Dani's hips faster, fingers tracing the underwire of her bra. "Talk in the mornin'," Jamie growls against her, teeth sinking into her lower lip and tugging and Dani doesn't even make an attempt to stop the carnal moan on her tongue when Jamie sucks it into her mouth before releasing with an obscene _pop_. "Rather hear you comin' right now."

"God, _fuck_ ," Dani whimpers out when she feels Jamie's hand slip around her back and unclasp her bra before moving back around and cupping her breast.

"The mouth on ya," Jamie goads against the side of her face before reaching out to nibble at her ear, perfectly timed with the way her fingers dart up to pluck softly at her nipple, and Dani's hips press harder against Jamie's thigh, riding both it and the seam of her jeans and _gasping_ with it rubs against her clit just right. "Think I like it when you cuss, somethin' tells me you don't do it often. Think I like it when you cuss 'cause of me."

Jamie tugs on her nipple and twists it lightly, mouthing at her earlobe, and Dani's eyes might start rolling to the back of her head.

" _Jamie_ ," she whines against curls, fingers tightening in Jamie's hair and pulling, hard, until Jamie's sinful mouth is back on hers and stealing every breath she tries to pull into her lungs. "Jamie, I need— _please_ , I need to—"

Jamie doesn't even waste a second unbuttoning her jeans. One moment, the arm around her waist disappears and the thigh between her own pulls away; the next, her jeans and underwear are part way down her legs, and Jamie's fingers are slipping between them, venturing past blonde curls before sinking into—" _Oh, god_ ," Dani chokes out, head banging against the door when Jamie braves a single finger right between her folds, sweeping against Dani's clit with the length of it.

"Look at the state of ya," Jamie husks against her jaw, looking down at her hand, the other continuing to roll her nipple between forefinger and thumb, and the combined sensation makes Dani buck her hips further into Jamie's palm. "Jesus, you're _drippin_ '."

Distantly, Dani thinks she should be embarrassed to be so wet already, but any semblance of shame flutters from her grasp when Jamie touches her clit in full, rubbing tentatively and sending pleasure bursting through Dani's seams. 

"Put both your hands up," Jamie rasps, and Dani can only comply, untangling her fingers from Jamie's hair and throwing her hands up, groaning softly when Jamie's palm leaves her breast to capture both of her wrists above her head and hold them there. "Good girl, Dani."

 _Jesus fucking Christ_ , the way she says that sends her cunt weeping with desire, and Dani thinks it should very well be a crime.

"Oh? What's this?" Dani feels Jamie's surprised laugh puff against her cheek, hot and insistent as another press against her clit sends her breath hitching. "D'ya like it when I tell you how good you are?" 

Dani _shivers_.

"Fuck, you do, don't ya?" Jamie finally, mercifully, starts rubbing her in slick, consistent spirals, and Dani thinks she might melt from the ministrations, sinking gratefully into the sensation and letting her hips match each circle Jamie makes on her sensitive skin, mewling when Jamie's hand tightens around her wrists, teeth sinking teasingly into the jut of her chin. "You fuckin' love it."

Jamie picks up the pace, pressing harder against her, and Dani lets out a high, keening sound when she tries to ride it. It doesn't help, or perhaps it helps the most, that her wrists are held above her head, and her legs are kept in place by the hem of her jeans, and the realisation only gets her _wetter_ , head darting forward to capture Jamie's lips. 

Jamie's kisses are like tongues of flame flickering against her, hot and intense and sweltering, and Dani cries into her when she feels a finger ghost against her cunt, hips canting violently into the touch.

"You're so fuckin' gorgeous, Dani," Jamie whispers against her, teasing her entrance with barely-there touches, collecting the wetness to smear around her own digits and causing her to gasp. "Fuck, the way you were lookin' at me earlier tonight. Made me want to have you on that bar, teasin' you jus' like this until you're sobbing for me."

Sobbing, yes, Dani thinks she might be sobbing with want when Jamie finally presses a single finger inside, only to the first knuckle but, _god_ , Dani trembles around her.

"Didn't care whoever saw, you know? Didn't care at all," Jamie growls, pushing further into her, thumb continuing its dizzying circles on her clit, and Dani whines when the finger finally slips in to the last knuckle, her walls clenching greedily around it. "Cared only about _fuckin_ ' you, makin' you feel good, makin' you cry out my name."

" _Fuck, Jamie_ ," she sighs, luxuriating as Jamie pulls her finger almost completely out before digging back in, and each motion causes her walls to cling onto her tighter than the last, loving the feel of having Jamie inside her.

"Isn't that what I'm doin', love?" Jamie stills, and Dani nearly cries out from the loss of sensation. "Do you want me to stop?" 

" _No_ ," Dani immediately answers, eyes flying open to see the impish grin plastered on Jamie's face. "Jamie, please, I—" 

"You what?" Jamie presses teasingly against her clit, and Dani's body immediately _shudders_. "I want to hear you say it, Dani. What do you want?" 

Her thumb continues its mocking touch, whispering against her sensitive bundle of nerves, and no matter how far Dani's hips try to go after it, as far as she can with her wrists still above her head, she's getting nowhere fast. 

"Jamie," she whines, begs, legs shaking with desire and barely holding herself up if not for Jamie's body pressing against hers. "Fuck me, Jamie."

"That's right, pretty girl," Jamie chuckles against her lips, and Dani delights at the way the words drip from Jamie's mouth, delights even more when Jamie slips another finger into her and starts fucking her in earnest, thumb returning to press carnal patterns against her skin. "You've been wantin' this all night, haven't you?" 

Dani's eyelids flutter shut, wrists uselessly tugging under Jamie's grasp, and then she's leaning back against the closed door under Jamie's touch, hips seeking friction and warming when Jamie gives it, deepening both touches and pressing open-mouthed kisses along her neck. 

"God, Dani, you're so beautiful," Jamie hums against her clavicle, shifting her wrist and driving into Dani from a new angle that lets her bury the tips of her fingers into Dani's front wall, and Dani can only gasp when the sensation sends her cunt clenching desperately around Jamie, grinding down to match her thrusts. " _Fuck_ , Dani, look at me."

It's an effort, but Dani manages to open her lids long enough to find Jamie's eyes—but when she does, she knows she can't possibly close them again.

Jamie's face is overtaken by such an intense desire and focus, cheeks pink and flushed, lips swollen and parted, eyes impossibly dark and hooded, that it sends a new wave of wetness spilling between Dani's legs, coating the fingers greedily pressing into her, and she watches as, upon realising this, Jamie's hunger multiplies. 

"Don't close your eyes," Jamie commands, finally lowering Dani's hands. Dani immediately sinks her trembling fingers into Jamie's hair, holding her close, and Jamie's palm cups the side of her face to do the same. "I want to see you come, okay? Is that okay?" 

"Yes," Dani answers in a choked gasp, and suddenly Jamie's pace moves from fast to unforgiving, twisting deep as she can into her folds and rubbing briskly against her clit, and Dani's hips move on their own accord, accommodating her touch with each, needy, _shameless_ buck. "God, Jamie, _yes_."

She's teetering, now, at the precipice, holding on as each slam of Jamie's fingers into her cunt pushes her, inch by inch, over the edge. Still, Dani holds back, waiting excruciatingly even when all of her senses are begging for release, thighs trembling with the effort to keep from being pushed off the daunting height until—

"Come for me, Dani."

A sharp, grateful cry rings out from the back of Dani's throat as her existence immolates with ecstasy, back arching off of the door, mouth hungrily meeting Jamie's own, walls tightening insatiably around the fingers still plunging into her with wet, _obscene_ sounds that make her toes curl in her boots. Jamie's thumb continues rubbing, fingers continue fucking, and Dani rides her hand through her explosive orgasm, hips jerking to meet each delicious touch until she sees bright spots behind her eyes.

" _Fuck_ , Dani, I need to taste ya," Jamie gasps against her lips, and then suddenly Jamie is kneeling and—oh, _fuck_ —the sight alone is enough to make Dani dizzy with desire, eyes growing wide as Jamie tugs her jeans lower with both hands. "Help me with this?" 

Dani nods obediently, kicking off her shoes and the rest of her jeans and underwear before leaning back, panting.

For a second, Jamie just kneels there, watching her, eyes roaming every inch of her skin, but Dani doesn't shy away from it—not when Jamie's looking at her with such a sincere and open wanting.

"D'ya think you can keep standin', Dani?" Dani automatically nods, but stops when Jamie reaches out to press an open hand against her inner thigh, and it's only then she realises that she's still trembling. _Violently_. "Or do you want a breather?" 

"No, I can—" 

" _Dani_ ," comes Jamie's amused chuckle. Dani watches as Jamie leans forward, looking up with eyes nearly black with desire, pressing her chin to the curls at the apex of Dani's thighs and grinning. "No need to rush, love. We've got a whole night to spend… unless you have somewhere to be?" 

Dani shakes her head. 

"Then we've got time. Here. I think it's about time we move to the bed," Jamie says decidedly, clambering onto her feet and offering her hand to Dani, fingers still glistening. "Or do you want to stop? Really, Dani, I won't mind if—" 

"No," Dani answers perhaps a bit too quickly, ducking her head sheepishly when she sees the mirthful quirk of Jamie's eyebrow. "It's just—I, uh, this is my first time… with a woman? And I—god, it's so much _more_ than I ever imagined and… and…"

"You need a second?"

Dani braves a look at Jamie and warms when she sees no judgement there, only an understanding openness. 

"Yeah, _half_ a second," Dani relents with a sigh, and finally she lets herself be led to Jamie's bedroom. 

While they go, she takes the time to really look at Jamie's space, and she startles to find that there's plants _everywhere_. In every corner. On every shelf. Above every surface. Plants in bottles and plants in pots and plants in teacups. Green and red and yellow and white.

"These are beautiful," she comments idly, slipping into Jamie's bedroom and delighting when she finds even more plants inside. One in particular sits on the table beside Jamie's bed, a brilliant potted plant with white, almost star-shaped flowers. "What's this one?" 

" _Hoya carnosa_ ," Jamie answers with a pleased hum. "Porcelain flowers. Pretty things, aren't they?" 

"They are," Dani agrees, allowing herself to be seated on Jamie's bed. The duvet is a light, almost mint-green, pillows white and clean, and there's a paperback on Jamie's other end table, but the spine is turned away. "I really like your place. It's very cozy." 

"Yeah?" She turns and smiles softly when she sees Jamie hopping on one foot, trying to pull her underwear and impossibly (and deliciously) tight jeans from her legs. The hem of her shirt is too long for Dani to be able to see anything except the promise of dark curls that does wonders with reigniting the fire in her stomach despite her sudden shyness. "Hope you don't mind, Dani? It's just—this way, you know, we're equally undressed."

"I appreciate the gesture," Dani answers with a soft laugh, echoed by Jamie's own. 

Without the pressing heat of desire, or at least while it's still reawakening itself as Jamie grabs a tie from her desk to throw her hair into a ponytail, Dani's pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to be in Jamie's space. Before today, she would have assumed that falling into bed with someone she doesn't know would include some semblance of awkwardness, but here, with Jamie, it's just… comfortable. Comfortable and easy, and maybe it helps that Jamie doesn't look at her like she wants just _one_ thing, and sure, she knows Jamie also _wants_ that thing, but it's clear enough that it isn't the only thing on the table tonight.

"Well now," Jamie says with a sigh, kneeling on the floor in front of Dani's legs but never moving to pry them open. Instead, Jamie folds her arms over Dani's lap and props her head on top of them, blinking up at her with glinting curiosity. "How're you feelin', Miss Clayton?" 

"Like I just had the best orgasm of my life," Dani giggles honestly, letting a hand stray down to cup Jamie's elbow, brush against the skin there. "Still feel like I might vibrate out of existence."

"Please don't feed my ego," Jamie chuckles in return, her warm breaths spilling against Dani's stomach, but even then it's _easy_. Dani's never had _easy_ before. "God knows I have enough as it is."

"Humble _and_ self-aware," Dani hums teasingly, her hand moving to trace the curve of Jamie's lips, grinning when it parts for her, lets her duck a thumb inside to press against Jamie's tongue. Immediately, Jamie's eyes grow hooded, and Dani breathes a sharp exhale when Jamie's lips closes around it and sucks. "I want to know how to make you feel good."

"Hm," Jamie hums around her finger, nibbling it gently before releasing it and nosing into the skin of Dani's palm. "I think you're doin' a pretty good job of it already, but since you really want to—" 

"I really do."

"—and since I really want to, too—" 

"You do?" 

"—I do," Jamie laughs, getting on her feet before climbing into Dani's lap, knees framing either side of Dani's hips and leaning on them. "Then I'll just have to teach you for a change, Miss Clayton."

Jamie grabs the lower hem of her black shirt and pulls up, revealing—

Dani sucks in a breath when her eyes land on Jamie's breasts, hidden only by a black sports bra that Dani truly, truly would like to thank the makers of. Or maybe she can just thank Jamie. 

_Yes_ , she absolutely will thank Jamie, and she does so by leaning forward and capturing Jamie's lips in hers eagerly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kept my promise and now provide you with the first ever smut piece i've posted on my account 😌 even better, this isn't anywhere near done. that's right, folks, we're gonna have two more chapters of smut after this... and probably a whole lot more somewhere down the line, because these two? insatiable! 
> 
> also. i know i only started this two days ago and i have yet to get back to all of your comments because i would absolutely Love to scream about it with y'all but—HERE HAVE CHAPTER TWO YEET! (backstage, i'm already writing... this beast of a chapter that is chapter 9 dhAHSKSH, lemme tell ya it's... smut) 
> 
> RIGHT SO. like i said: smut but also sweet. like, christ, jamie?? how soft and considerate can you be??? be still, my beating heart? and dani being bold? god, a favourite of mine. 
> 
> wanna take a gander at which part is my absolute favourite? 😇
> 
> anyway, lemme know what you think! again, if you're interested, we have a spotify playlist of jamie and the poltergeists linked in the author's notes of the first chapter.
> 
> oh, and if you have any 70s to 90s female-fronted rock songs that isn't there that you think jamie would be DIVINE playing, let me know down below!
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this update!


	3. Chapter 3

This must be what heaven feels like, Dani thinks. 

All throughout her younger years, she'd always wondered what heaven would be like, if it was ever meant for someone like her. It was all everyone really talked about where she was from: heaven and repentance and salvation. Eventually, she'd decided that she'd rather not think about it—certainly not when she lived in her hometown, certainly not when her own household indicated the opposite, certainly not when she was the biggest lesbian she knew... and, well, that wasn't saying much when she was the _only_ lesbian she knew, but the thought applied. 

But here, _now_ , maybe Dani can be a believer, because Jamie feels divine settled in her lap, both their chests now bare and Jamie's hips bucking against her stomach to chase the ghost of a touch she insists on withholding for the moment, electing instead to rub reverent thumbs on the insides of Jamie's thighs and coax out all the ways they tremble and shiver and shudder in her grasp.

" _Fuck_ , Dani, never told me you were such a tease," Jamie groans into her temple, breath hot and wanting, and Dani turns to capture her lips and grin against it, huffing out a laugh when Jamie's tongue immediately seeks entrance between hers to map out the roof of her mouth.

She squeezes Jamie's thigh experimentally and moans when Jamie's grinding grows more insistent, heat and dampness coating the top of her thighs.

She's never really understood sex before—in truth, it had felt nothing more than chore, a responsibility, an expectation—but she's changed her mind now, she thinks. She's changed her mind from the way Jamie had touched _her_ , the way she's touching _Jamie_... more than just changing her mind, actually, she thinks she might even become _addicted_ to it. 

And, _oh_ , what a potent drug it is, to have Jamie smearing her want across Dani's skin. She wants to feel more of that desire. She wants to feel _all_ of it.

She doesn't think she'll know how to breathe otherwise.

"I like this," she murmurs quietly, moving her lips to mouth her next words against Jamie's neck. "You feel so good, rubbing against me like that."

Jamie lets out a choked sound, and Dani leans forward to reward her by capturing a nipple between her lips and lavishing it with her tongue. Jamie arches into her kiss, back bowing, and Dani takes the opportunity to raise her hands higher, thumbing the crease where Jamie's hips meet her thighs, groaning when she feels heat rolling off of Jamie's folds in electrifying waves.

"Jesus, Dani, and I thought _I_ was the only one who was into the dirty talk," Jamie mutters playfully into her hair, arms coming up to wrap around the back of her neck, tugging her closer as Dani leaves hungry, open-mouthed kisses to decorate her chest. "I'm into it, though. Jus' so we're clear. _Definitely_ turned on, if you haven't noticed yet."

"Oh, I've noticed," Dani laughs gently, revelling when Jamie's shoulders shake with a chuckle too—until the chuckle turns into a sharp hiss when Dani presses a thumb against her clit, accommodating the next buck of Jamie's hips by ghosting her fingers teasingly against her folds. "I've definitely noticed, Jamie."

" _Christ_ , Dani."

"Does this feel good?" Dani implores, tucking her face in-between Jamie's breasts, nosing against her sternum as she swipes her thumb against the hardened clit, loving how sweltering it is under her touch.

"God, Dani, _yes_ —" 

"How about this?" Dani darts her tongue out, licks a stripe from Jamie's chest to the hollow of her neck, fingers tracing Jamie's entrance and circling it, collecting the heady wetness on her fingers and letting it cover her skin. 

Jamie's answer is garbled by a moan, and _god_ , the _sound_ of it—Dani wants to hear more, hear what else she can make Jamie sing just for her.

What did Jamie say, earlier? Ah, yes. 

"Am I being a good girl for you, Jamie?" The effect it has on Jamie is nothing short of _intoxicating_. Jamie's thighs fall apart around her hips, lowering into her touch and grinding onto her palm, jaw falling open to let out a strung-out whine that sends desire crackling down Dani's spine. Jamie's a vision, bucking into her grasp, and she wants to live in this moment, here, wants it to be the only thing that matters. "Am I?" 

"Yes, Dani, god, _fuck_ —"

Dani starts rubbing slow, tentative circles around Jamie's clit, letting the memories of Jamie's own ministrations guide her thumb. Any hesitation and doubt she feels falls away when she sees Jamie throw her head back and moan, meeting her touch with her hips swaying back and forth, side to side, circling and twitching when Dani changes the tempo and speeds it up.

The way Jamie is writhing against her gives her enough confidence to take off with it, because she's had a taste and now she's _starved_. 

"Where do you want me to touch you again?" Dani hums against Jamie's neck, thinking back to Jamie's salacious performance that has since burned itself into Dani's existence. "Was it here—" She presses her thumb deeper into Jamie's clit, mouthing the words into Jamie's bobbing throat, "—or was it here?" She sinks a wet finger into even wetter heat, stifling a moan with her teeth around Jamie's skin when she feels Jamie's walls flex and tighten around her. "Oh, Jamie, you feel so good…"

"Christ, _Poppins_ —" 

"Poppins?"

Dani leans back but doesn't dare stop the brush of her thumb against Jamie's clit, the push of one finger, then two into Jamie's slick centre, watching exultantly as the brunette lowers her gaze to grin at her, equal parts wanton and sheepish. 

"Yeah, you know, nice, angelic lady from a faraway place here to bring happiness and change the lives of English children," Jamie explains through her sensual panting, managing an impish grin that sends pleasure burning low in Dani's stomach. "Like Mary Poppins— _fuck, Dani, just like that_."

Dani grins victoriously as she curls her fingers, finding the change in texture on Jamie's front wall and pressing into it, rubbing and coaxing and watching as Jamie's hips grow frantic. She wraps one arm around Jamie's lower back to keep her steady, twisting her fingers and humming in delight when Jamie's chest presses into hers.

"Fuck, Dani, are you sure this is your first time with a woman?" Jamie's fingers sink into her hair, and Dani thinks she understands the concept of hair-pulling now, because the pressure on her scalp from Jamie's desperate hands fills her with _wicked_ thrill.

"I'm just doing what you sang earlier, Jamie," Dani whispers amusedly, leaning up to boldly mouth against her ear, "How did it go again? Do you wanna touch me there?" 

" _Motherfuck_ —" 

Jamie starts trembling above her, and Dani thinks she must be close. With all the confidence sparking against her skin, Dani speeds up her ministrations, focusing on driving her fingers into Jamie's folds and pointedly letting the heel of her palm press insistently against Jamie's clit, until the only sounds echoing in the room are of her digits thrusting _filthily_ into dripping heat, of the rhythmic slap of skin as Jamie _rides_ her, of Jamie's chanted " _fuck, Dani, fuck_ " above her, of her own panting as she pushes past the burn of her wrist in favour of wanting to make Jamie come. 

And come she does, Jamie's hands yanking her head up to crash their lips together and stifle a loud, keening cry, hips bucking against her palm as Dani curls her fingers and hooks gently onto the spot Jamie likes so much with every thrust, basking in the way Jamie's walls constrict and tighten around her.

" _Jesus_ , Dani," Jamie manages to gasp out, and Dani glows with pride when Jamie's hips finally roll to a stop, twitching every so often even when Dani finally pulls her hand away. "Christ. How are you _real_? _How_ is this your first time? How—" 

Dani shrugs teasingly, looking up at Jamie through her eyelashes. "I guess I just really wanted to make you come," she confesses boldly and watches, _delights_ , really, when Jamie's eyes burn with desire as Dani raises her glistening fingers and pops them into her own mouth, licking at the musky, heady taste.

"That reminds me," Jamie growls, reaching up to pull Dani's hand from her mouth… only to pop the same fingers between her own lips, sucking teasingly, and Dani's jaw falls open at that. "Know I taste good and all, but I'd really rather taste you now."

Without preamble, Jamie is back on her knees, now enthusiastically spreading Dani's legs apart, and the motion is enough to send Dani _gasping_ , fingers falling to clutch at the hands Jamie's settled high on her thighs, except doing so means she also gets to see Jamie's brown curls between her legs and—her mind stalls, or stutters, or maybe it short-circuits _completely_ , because the sight of Jamie grinning at her from down there sends her pulse _sprinting_. 

The first sensation of Jamie licking up her folds sends her thighs attempting to fly shut, but Jamie keeps them apart with strong, steady hands, thumbs circling her skin encouragingly and flexing under Dani's palms. The second sends Dani's back arching, collapsing back onto the bed with a desperate, choked sound. 

" _Fuck_ , Dani, you taste divine," Jamie hums against her, each word mouthed against her clit, and Dani can only let out a short whine in response, one hand leaving Jamie's to grasp the duvet underneath her and pull. "Hm, eyes on me, Dani."

Dani obliges, and she doesn't think there could ever be a way to remove the image of Jamie grinning at her from the apex of her thighs from haunting her thoughts for the foreseeable future. "God, _Jamie_ —" 

Jamie licks another, pleasant stripe and Dani's hips jerk up to chase after the sensation, groaning when Jamie keeps her tongue out and lets her grind against it for a spell. It feels so, so _good_ , the way Jamie's hot tongue presses against her clit, the way warmth scatters from between her legs and trickles into the rest of her body, fills her until she feels like she's bursting at the seams. 

And Jamie's eyes, Jamie's eyes are dark and _flaring_ , just a thin ring of ignited hazel around a pool of scorching black that consumes the rest of Dani's vision, daring her to look as Jamie's head starts bobbing between her thighs, tongue circling her clit before sucking it into a warm, wet mouth and Dani's toes curl, hips straining up to luxuriate in the sensation.

One of Jamie's hands, the one that isn't still trapped under her palm, moves lower along her thigh before slipping higher and in, and for a brief moment the press of Jamie's tongue disappears as she lathers her fingers with spit, but before Dani can groan her complaint, Jamie's mouth is back on her, moaning against her skin as fingertips flutter whisper-shy along her entrance, causing her body to erupt in shivers.

"Jamie, _please_ , I—" Her plea breaks into a stuttered note when Jamie traces the quivering ring of muscles between her legs teasingly. "God, Jamie, _inside_ —I want to feel you insi— _fuck_!"

Two fingers sink into her heat and fill her, and Dani immediately grinds into it, shuddering when Jamie pulls her touch all the way out before slamming back inside her, pace mockingly slow but oh so pleasurable. She thinks she might be delirious with desire, body chasing after each thrust, trembling to keep having Jamie fucking her just like this.

"You know, I don't generally do this," Jamie starts with a sinful glint of teeth, burying her nose against the curls between her legs and puffing a chuckled breath. "But the way you were eyein' me tonight, Poppins, the way it made me feel, singin' up there, you lookin' at me like you wanted to drag me off the stage and your way with me…"

Jamie's thrusting picks up, lips fluttering to kiss at her upper thigh, and Dani's body shakily tries to meet it, wanting to revel in the feeling of having Jamie's fingers buried and flexing and spearing into her cunt with rapid, starved precision, even when she's toeing the line of release already.

"Felt a little like sex itself, that," Jamie laughs softly, teeth flashing as she bites at her skin and growls, a sound so deep and fiendish that Dani's eyes roll to the back of her head with want. "But havin' you with me like this? _Christ_ , Poppins, I think I'm quite addicted to you wantin' me."

And then Jamie's back onto her clit with a starved fervour, fingers pistoning into Dani's centre, and then Dani is coming with a loud, sharp, wild cry as both her hands fly to tangle into Jamie's hair, tugging endearingly as her back arches off of the bed and her legs wrap around Jamie's shoulders, heels digging into her upper back. It feels so impossibly good, the way Jamie keeps thrusting into her as she comes, wave after wave of pleasure humming through Dani's body as her walls squeeze and clench and tighten greedily around those fingers, hips desperately grinding against Jamie's kisses until Dani's entire consciousness could only revolve around the mind-shattering _ecstasy_ Jamie is giving her.

When she comes back down, it's with Jamie leaving a final, modest kiss to her clit, gently prying fingers from Dani's heat, and though Dani feels entirely spent, she still groans when Jamie sucks on her fingers and moans at the taste, _her_ taste—Jamie's delighted with the taste of her and Dani doesn't think there are enough words in the world to verbalise how much that thought thrills her.

"C'mere," Dani manages to slur out, instead, hands moving from Jamie's hair to Jamie's arms, humming when the brunette lets herself be pulled up to sink fully against Dani's body. Jamie kisses her, and she whines softly at the taste of herself on Jamie's tongue. "You talk a lot during sex."

Jamie laughs, full and loud and hearty, and Dani likes her voice, likes her delight, likes her weight as she presses down against her.

"Psh, you seem to like it well enough."

"God, I do," Dani confesses with a nod of her head, getting comfortable as Jamie collapses onto her, tucks her face into the crook of Dani's neck. "You really don't usually do this?" 

"Nah," Jamie answers with a shake of her head, curls brushing against Dani's jaw. "Keep life nice and simple, me. Usually, I just come up here pissed as shite to water my plants—" 

" _Water your plants_ , huh?" 

" _Cheeky_. That isn't a euphemism," Jamie scoffs playfully, poking at her stomach and causing her body to jerk with a choked laugh. "But I don't generally drag _cheeky_ little teachers up here to shag them silly, no."

"Glad I could be an exception then," Dani snickers playfully, carding her fingers through Jamie's hair while keeping the other looped around her back. Distinctly, her palm brushes against the beginning of raised skin, likely a scar, and she feels Jamie tense under her touch, but when she traces the cusp of it slowly, reverently, expression open and holding no judgement, Jamie's muscles relax under her palm. 

"And my," Jamie murmurs, eyes pulling Dani in with a vulnerable honesty, "what an exception you are, Miss Clayton."

There's more to it, Dani knows, but it tastes like something that isn't ready to be talked about yet, and she doesn't want to push, doesn't want to make Jamie, who has been nothing short of considerate so far, uncomfortable.

So, instead, Dani takes one of Jamie's hands and presses a tender kiss against her fingertips. Jamie offers her a rueful smile, almost an apology, maybe, about the beast she can't quite face yet, but just as quickly, Dani's there, pressing another kiss to her jaw to assuage her fears. 

"Right," Jamie huffs before sitting up, patting a hand on Dani's bare stomach. For a fleeting second, something a little like worry and despair settles in her stomach, thinking that it's perhaps become a bit too much, that Jamie might be asking her to leave, but instead Jamie just leans down to the foot of the bed and snags the hair tie that must've come off when Dani had her fingers mussing Jamie's curls. "I'm starved. Wanna get somethin' delivered, or should I jus' get somethin' for us from downstairs?"

Dani opens her mouth to answer, but then her eyes are back on Jamie's form, the way she stretches her hands up to tie her delightfully tousled hair back into a loose ponytail. Jamie seems to recognise her reaction easily enough, grinning wickedly down at her.

"Other than me, that is," Jamie teases with a wink, and _oh_ , yes, that wink still does tons to her. "Although, we'll definitely have more of that later tonight."

"Um," Dani hums, eyes sweeping down Jamie's chest, the nipples pebbled from sex, the light flush that lingers on her skin. "Uh, downstairs, downstairs sounds good."

"Brilliant." With a determined nod, Jamie ducks forward and presses a chaste kiss to her lips, and though earlier's heated ones were certainly more than pleasant, something about the light one Jamie presses against her now is just as delightful. "Stay here, relax. Shirts are in the top drawer over there if you want."

Dani nods appreciatively before leaning up, watching as Jamie swoops down to pluck her shirt up and toss it over her head. Finally, Jamie bounces off of the bed, wandering over to the aforementioned dresser and extracting a pair of loose shorts from the second drawer, pulling it up along her bare legs without—well, _Jesus_ , the thought of that is dizzying.

" _Christ_ , Dani, there your eyes go again," Jamie laughs, stepping closer to squeeze her thigh, and Dani can only whimper obscenely when the touch brushes high. "Fuckin' love it, the way you look at me."

"Love the way you look," Dani hums in response, beaming up when Jamie's face melts into something touched.

"Adorable," Jamie comments with a shake of her head, slipping a hand between her legs to cup her and, sure, Dani _had_ most certainly been spent, but _now_? Now, she thinks she's just about ready to go again. "Be back in a bit. Get comfortable, okay? There will be serious consequences if I hear you haven't been relaxin'."

To make her point, Jamie swipes a finger across her clit, and though it's still a little sensitive, Dani arches into the touch anyway.

"That's not fair," she groans when Jamie pulls her touch away with another, vibrant laugh. "Not fair at all."

"Let me make it up to you?"

With that cheeky response that she most certainly stole from Dani, Jamie ducks out of the bedroom and, soon enough, the flat entirely, leaving Dani to collect her fragmented thoughts on the bed. 

With a sigh, Dani sits up and extricates herself from the covers she's messed up, wandering over to the drawer Jamie had indicated and pouring through the piles of folded shirts. A large majority of them are band shirts of different kinds, several toting Joan Jett and the Blackhearts or The Runaways or Blondie or Heart, but Dani's hands immediately pull out a red, flannel button-down, revelling in the worn softness of the material. Smiling, she tugs it on, liking the way the hem falls well past her mid-thighs. She buttons the lower half but leaves the top half open, preferring how the cool air of Jamie's flat breathes against her skin.

It's easy, she thinks, how Jamie and her interact. There are no expectations here, no demands, and Dani likes that, likes the way they ebb and flow with each other instead of against.

Even in the depths of Jamie's place, a place she'd said not a lot have been in before, a place _she_ has never been in before, Dani doesn't feel the weight of discomfort settling on her shoulders. Instead, the space welcomes her with open arms, beckoning for her to explore and, for the first time in a long time, Dani indulges guiltlessly, wandering back into the living area to look at what it has to offer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, damn dani 😳
> 
> RIGHT SO CAN WE TALK ABOUT JAMIE BEING A TALKER??? AND DANI BEING SO BOLD?????? god. fuck!
> 
> also just...  
> me: this is my first time writing actual smut. i should not write too much because what if it isn't good, what if i fuck it UP—  
> also me: THESE CHAPTERS WILL JUST BE SHAMELESS SMUT. i have lost all my inhibitions for the sake of this fic and for the sake of their dynamic! 
> 
> so yeah, we got more smut. next chapter is gonna be. even more smut! this is all for you guys 😘
> 
> edit while i'm setting chapter four up: okay, so admittedly chapter 3 isn't exactly my favorite out of the 2-4 smutfest.... so if it isn't up to speed, hopefully i can make it up to you all with the next one 😉
> 
> if you like this fic, feel free to leave your thoughts below! hearing about what you think always makes my day 🥰


	4. Chapter 4

Dani's earlier observation rings too entirely true as she explores Jamie's flat. It's cozy and homey, all cool, earthy colours and mismatched furniture that gives the space a cute, rustic flair. 

The sofa, for example, is definitely old and likely second-hand, but it's fluffy and overstuffed and covered with a beautiful tapestry along the back. The coffee table is made of white driftwood and glass, displaying a hardcover about Mythology, several potted succulents, and wooden coasters. There's a laptop at the corner of the surface, laden with vinyl band stickers, and Dani quickly nudges it closer to the middle of the table to keep it from falling off.

On another table below the large, bay windows sits an old record player that Dani immediately makes a beeline towards, fingers tracing the volume knob before sweeping towards one of three wooden crates filled with vinyl. Almost all of them, she notes, are from the 70's, 80's, and 90's rock scene, mostly women but with a few exceptions, records from acts such as Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and Journey. 

Filtering through the available records, Dani decides on The Runaways' self-titled debut album. The first song on the tracklist starts, and Dani lets it play as she wanders over to the bookshelf, pouring through the titles with her head tossed to the side to try and read them better. 

Her attention flits from one thing to the next, fascinated by all that she finds. Like Jamie's kitchen, for example: it's small and modest, and several of the appliances appear to be old and dated, but she thinks it adds to the undeniable charm of the place. The charm of Jamie, too—

The front door flies open, startling Dani out of her thoughts, and she whirls around to find Jamie making her way inside, cheeks still flushed and carrying a tray of steaming plates, kicking the door shut behind her. "Food," Jamie stage-whispers, conspiratorial, wagging her eyebrows in a playful expression. "The Manor might look like any other dive but, I swear to ya, the food's like no other whenever Owen slips into the kitchen to help."

Owen, the bassist, Dani remembers—

"Oh, shoot, your bandmates," Dani stammers out, eyes growing wide. "God, I didn't steal you from them, did I?" 

"Poppins, it's alright," Jamie laughs, setting the tray down on the small dining table with its mismatched chairs before padding over and pulling her close by the collars of her flannel. "Should'a seen the look on their faces when they saw me pop up again downstairs. Insufferably cheeky prats, the lot of 'em. They're good people. Reckon you'd like them heaps."

"I just don't wanna—" 

"Poppins," Jamie repeats with a shake of her head, and then Jamie's leaning close and catching her lower lip between her teeth, tugging teasingly. Dani's eyelids flutter at that, worries dying on her tongue. "Promise to ya, it's alright. If you're worried, we can have brunch with them tomorrow," Jamie trails off, hands catching Dani's hips, "if you plan on stayin' the night, that is."

Jamie's eyes are wide and accepting, understanding—an offer, again, never a demanding proposition, never stifling. How can it be that she's only met this woman today but feels like she's known her all her life, the way her breath eases out of her chest to billow harmlessly in the air between them? 

"Didn't realise that's how this works," Dani finally relents, teases, scrunching up her nose as Jamie leads her to the dining table and pulls out her chair for her. 

"Who's to say anything has to happen a certain way?" Jamie's grin grows wider, all white teeth and addictive charm. "What if I said I wanted to bed you, _then_ date you in the comfort of my flat, have you sittin' there with my flannel that has no business looking as good as it does on ya?"

Heat pushes against Dani's cheeks as Jamie collapses into her own chair, pointedly looking at Dani up and down.

"Tell me, Poppins, if I wanted that, would you hold it against me?" 

_God_ , the things this woman does to her.

"I know _something_ I can hold against you," Dani teases back, watching Jamie's eyes narrow amusedly.

"Poppins, you _flirt_."

 _God_ , the things this woman's nickname for her does to her. 

Dinner is an easy affair as they both tuck into their meals, and Dani doesn't hesitate to tell Jamie that yes, the food is, by far, the best she's ever had both in Bly and in Iowa, and wherever else she's ended up between Point A and Point B.

"Long way from home, you are," Jamie comments, waving her fork in the air with a smirk before popping a button potato into her mouth. "Other than the rubbish job opportunities, you findin' the place alright?" 

"I am," Dani admits with a melting smile, "It's the first time I've felt so… independent, you know? It's hard, yeah, but I'm having the time of my life so far."

"That's good. This place, it's not much, you know, but it'll take care of ya if you let it." Jamie's grin turns softer, cotton-like at the edges, and Dani thinks she also likes this expression on her face, too. Likes _all_ the expressions on Jamie's face, the way she carries them. "Took care of me and my brother jus' fine."

Dani thinks back to the introduction Jamie had made on stage, humming, "Michael, right?" 

"Yeah, that's him—" 

"Oh, your _brother_ ," Dani gasps, dropping her fork and flinching when it clangs loudly against her bowl. "I didn't kick him out, did I?" 

"Kick him out—no, no, Dani," Jamie answers with an amused snort, reaching forward to grab reassuringly at her hand. "He has a room here, yeah, but he practically lives with his girlfriend at this point. He's downstairs if you'd like to ask him yourself, but—" Jamie's eyes sweep down her figure, and it's enough to ground Dani to the sensation of warmth emanating from her, the ever-present intensity burning in her hazel irises, "—probably best not to wander downstairs in that, 'specially when you don't even have your knickers on."

"How do you know I don't have my ' _knickers_ ' on?" 

To answer, Jamie boldly slides a palm up Dani's thigh and tugs teasingly at the curls there, and it squeezes the breath out of Dani's lungs with pointed precision. Jamie only laughs and leans back into her seat before humming thoughtfully.

"You're really interestin', you know that, Poppins?" 

"Interesting?" Dani, still a little flushed, shovels the last of her food into her mouth before arching an eyebrow at Jamie's curious observation. "How so?" 

"So bold one second and so shy the next," Jamie answers with a nod of her head, like she's decided on something. "Earlier, you were lookin' at me like it was the first time you've ever felt like you wanted somethin' that badly, and then, lo and behold, I wandered up to you to introduce myself and you grew bold before my very eyes."

Dani flushes. She had been staring intensely, hadn't she? In hindsight, Dani wants to feel embarrassed, but before she could, Jamie—

Well, Jamie pushes their bowls closer to the middle of the table before easily sliding into Dani's lap, hands settling on either side of her neck and tracing the ridge of her clavicle with both thumbs.

"And here you are bein' shy again," Jamie murmurs softly, brushing a nose against her own. "Don't get me wrong, Poppins. I think it's cute. Keeps me on my toes."

Dani looks into Jamie's eyes, but there's no dishonesty there. Only a sparkling appreciation, a burning want—Dani doesn't think anyone's ever wanted her like this before, not like the way Jamie wants with excitement but without expectation.

Karen had _wanted_ her to be the perfect daughter. 

Judy had _wanted_ her to be the perfect daughter-in-law. 

Edmund had _wanted_ her to be the perfect girlfriend, then the perfect fiancé, then the perfect wife. 

But Jamie, Jamie just _wants_ what Dani is right now—the Dani Jamie knows, is getting to know, is unraveling without the slightest wash of judgement. Jamie just _wants_.

There's nothing to drag it down, to soil it, to spoil it.

There's just Jamie and Dani and The Runaways' "Dead End Justice" playing on Jamie's record player.

"You think it's cute?" Dani looks at Jamie from behind the curtain of her own eyelashes, flushing gently when Jamie's lips fall into an endeared smile.

"Very," Jamie chuckles quietly, leaning closer to nose against her cheek. "S'like Christmas mornin' every second. Never know what I'm gonna get, but I know it's gonna be good anyway."

"Flirt," Dani snorts, but then Jamie's kissing her again, and all of her inhibitions fall away. 

— 🎸 —

Mornings have never been easy for Dani. 

It's always far too early, far too loaded, far too tricky. Mornings are, instead, difficult—impossibly so that Dani makes a habit of waking closer to noon than she should in an effort to avoid the undesirable weight of responsibilities that always come with the break of dawn. 

Today, however, is a different story.

When Dani comes to, it's with the groggy awareness that the unfamiliar clock on the table next to her head is blinking "6:00 AM". For a fleeting second, she braces herself for the frigid plunge into reality, but when her body tenses in preparation, she startles when she feels an arm tighten around her waist in response. 

She blinks down at the pale-green covers thrown over her body and remembers, first slowly, and then all at once, that she isn't her shoebox-sized apartment in the heart of the sleepy town of Bly. 

She's in Jamie's flat. 

She's _still_ in Jamie's flat. 

She's _still_ in Jamie's _bed_ , in her flat. 

Jamie, who's curled comfortably into her back, face buried against her shoulder, arm thrown around her torso and tugging her closer. 

Dani blinks again, and reality doesn't come careening into her head like it usually does. Instead, she focuses on Jamie's even breaths puffing against her skin, the press of Jamie's calloused palms on her stomach, the whisper of Jamie's fingers ghosting past her navel—

"Mm, was waitin' for you to wake up," Jamie hums against the back of her neck, pressing lazy, open-mouthed kisses along the top of her spine. Dani shivers at it, then shivers some more when Jamie's touch traces the hem of the underwear she'd hastily put on last night before crawling into Jamie's arms. "Tell me to stop and I'll stop."

The fingers hesitate, falling away from her skin, and Dani's breath hitches in the back of her throat, whispering with a pitched, shaky plea, "God, please don't stop."

She hears Jamie groan against her skin, press closer into her back. 

" _Fuck_ , Dani, drives me crazy when you whine like that," Jamie growls against the back of her neck, sinking teeth softly into her skin and causing Dani's hips to jerk, Jamie's palm cupping her through cotton. The sensation causes Dani's body to come alive, grinding insistently against the heel of Jamie's hand to chase after each note of pleasure.

"Like you don't like it," Dani manages to tease between curling pants, words slurring together when Jamie finally slips her underwear aside to press against her clit. Pleasure spirals in the apex of Dani's thighs, and she squeezes her eyes shut, moaning when she feels Jamie's hips bucking leisurely against her from behind. 

"That's the problem, I'm afraid," Jamie groans, and Dani feels the bed shift, Jamie propping herself on the elbow of her free hand and encouraging Dani to turn to her over her shoulder. She's greeted by a kiss on the forehead as she does, and she hums pleasantly at the sensation, even if one of her hands has started squeezing the corner of the duvet above them. "I like it so much that it makes me wanna make you come fast, but I feel like makin' you come slow today, let you feel all of it."

Dani's toes curl in delight at that, a soft, breathless sound spilling from her lungs when Jamie's kisses finally sweep to her lips. It's gentler than last night's had been, softer, Jamie's tongue flickering against the back of her teeth before tangling with her own with a delicate care. 

"Sorry 'bout the mornin' breath," Jamie whispers against her thrilled gasps when she pulls away. "I'm still human, you know."

Dani can only shake her head before begging quietly, "Please keep kissing me, Jamie."

And Jamie does, slotting her mouth against Dani's as she shifts closer, pushing Dani's back fully against the mattress before straddling her thigh, grinding down gently and letting each motion brush against the back of the hand between Dani's legs. The press on her clit, as well as the sensation of Jamie's growing wetness coating her skin, is enough to intensify the shock of desire coursing through her body, and when she gasps, Jamie takes the opportunity to plunge a tongue back into her open mouth, caressing lazily and muffling Dani's pitched whines. 

True to her promise, Jamie keeps her pace slow and careful, rubbing against Dani's clit, still a little sore from the night before, with such a tenderness that it warms her as much as it scorches her, a heady mix of endearment and ecstasy settling deep in the bottom of her stomach and washing away any worries she might have for the day. 

Even when Dani's hips start rising higher, begging for a quick release, Jamie only tuts and slows further, and Dani thinks it might drive her insane. "Slow, Dani," Jamie whispers against her open-mouthed panting, her desperate whimper as Jamie traps her straining clit between her index and middle fingers, sliding them up and down the sides with a steady rhythm even as Dani's hips buck faster.

Jamie crawls back down her body, pointedly slow, and Dani almost cries out when her fingers disappear from their ministration—but then Jamie's finally settled between her spread legs, breath puffing against her wetness, and then her body is tensing with delicious anticipation all over again. 

Carefully, Jamie spreads her apart with her thumbs, popping her clit from its hood. When she starts leaning forward, it's with the same lethargic leisure that has Dani whimpering, begging, "Jamie, _please_ —"

Jamie's mouth against her is like _rapture_. Her entire body gives one massive flex, tightening with need, and her eye flutter shut when Jamie flattens her tongue and rubs it hard against her. Dani grinds against it, eager and desperate, but every time she tries to quicken her pace, Jamie pulls her face away with a devilish grin, only moving back in once Dani's hips have stopped moving. 

She feels Jamie's thumbs move lower to press and prod against her entrance, and no matter how far Dani shifts her hips, they refuse to slip inside. Instead, they only spread her centre wider, walls flexing around an obvious emptiness, but through the frustration she startles to find _pleasure_ , goosebumps scattering across her skin the harder she clenches around nothing—and it doesn't make sense, how blindingly _good_ it feels, for Jamie to suck her clit into her mouth and for her walls to squeeze around nothing, for Jamie to keep her open and remind her that she doesn't always need to have something inside to come. There's only Jamie's lips, wrapping around where she's most sensitive, sucking harder and harder as Dani's stomach coils tighter and tighter, as her body begins to tremble and prepare for its release. 

When she reaches her climax, it isn't a sudden crash or a reckless dive—it's a tender, controlled fall that's nevertheless just as intense and all-encompassing, and Dani cries out when she descends from the cusp of it, body shivering with unabashed delight and chasing after Jamie's touch, a touch that Jamie gives... and gives, and gives, and _gives_ until Dani is wanting and writhing again. 

"God, _Jamie_ ," she manages to whine out, hand reaching down to cup the back of Jamie's head and push her closer. The responding groan Jamie makes against her skin sends her toes curling, hips bucking into her mouth. "God, _more_ —fuck, let me come again, _please_."

Jamie's tongue dips down to lap against her entrance, and all Dani can do is arch into it, wanting to feel Jamie just _teasing_ her like this, tracing the line of her cunt but never penetrating. One of Jamie's hands move to thumb at her still-throbbing clit and resume the dizzying circles, but the tongue continues its playful ministrations, flattening against her centre and drinking the warmth that spills from it—and then the presses grow harder, more insistent. 

"Fuck, Jamie, I'm—" A moan spills from her mouth when Jamie's other hand moves to spread her wide, letting her feel more of Jamie's sinful tongue as it dances against her weeping cunt. "Fuck, yes!" 

Jamie sucks her clit back into her mouth and Dani is _crashing_ , a mess of sobbed moans and grinding hips and shuddering thighs as Jamie laps through her folds like she's starved. Her thighs tighten around Jamie's head, but Jamie doesn't stop her—if anything, Jamie presses her mouth deeper against her folds, licking and nibbling and sucking, drawing out Dani's climax until she's flinching away. 

"Was that okay?" 

Dani opens her eyes and watches Jamie move back up, watching her in return, possessed with an almost bashful flutter of her lashes. To answer, Dani leans up, tangles fingers into her curls, and kisses her again, groaning when Jamie's tongue slips into her mouth until she can taste herself.

Her body is already vibrating with satisfaction, but when Jamie pulls back and flashes her with a mischievous look, it quickly turns into something thick and carnal, a choked sound echoing from the back of her throat. 

"Can I ride ya?"

Dani blinks, registering the question. _Ride her…_ what?

Jamie must take her confusion for outright refusal, because suddenly she's backtracking, eyes wide with worry, going, "I mean, if you're not into face-sittin', that's fine, I—"

Oh.

 _Oh_. 

" _No_ ," Dani almost yells, wincing at the volume of her own voice before reaching for Jamie's wrists, pulling the smaller woman against her chest gently. "I mean, yes—I mean… god. I haven't… done _that_ before, but—but yes, I _want_ you to sit on my face."

They stare at each other for what seems like a substantial amount of time… and then they're laughing. Full-bodied, red-faced _laughing_ , voices mingling in the acoustics of Jamie's bedroom.

And it's silly, it's so silly to be able to laugh like this in the middle of something like sex, but something in the back of Dani's head keeps saying that it feels _right_ and, honestly, it seems to have the right idea. 

"You sure?" Jamie asks when the last of their giggles have subsided, but even then, Dani can still feel the joy settling in her bones, beaming and nodding her assent.

"One-hundred-percent sure."

Jamie's still grinning fondly down at her when she crawls higher up Dani's body, Dani pointedly leaning up to capture a nipple between her lips and sucking gently as they pass overhead. For a moment, Jamie stays there, letting Dani lavish her chest with kisses, but when her hips begin to move involuntarily, catching against Dani's stomach, Jamie finally finishes crawling the rest of the way. 

The only word to describe the sight of Jamie above her, knees on either side of her head, is _exhilarating_. 

The heat rolling off of Jamie's cunt makes her mouth water with anticipation, eyes moving from the glistening chest above her to the smooth plane of Jamie's stomach to the dark curls between Jamie's thighs, moist with the wetness hidden within them.

Dani's hands find Jamie's ass and squeezes, chuckling when Jamie's hips buck—and then Dani takes the opportunity to nestle her face into Jamie's centre, tongue dragging a long line from her entrance to her clit. 

" _Jesus Christ_ , Dani, the things you do to me," Jamie hisses above her, and she distantly feels fingers threading into her hair, but Jamie's taste still haunts her tongue and her throat is parched from sheer want, and any response she may have disappears when she leans forward and sucks Jamie's clit into her mouth. " _Fuck_ , just like that—" 

Jamie grinding onto her tongue with dark, beautiful moans is nothing short of erotic. Her clit is hard and hot and Dani worships it with open-mouthed kisses and insistent presses, circling and licking and sucking with varying levels of pressure and pace. 

"You're a fuckin' natural, Dani," she hears Jamie groan above her, and Dani's heart swells at the compliment. To reward Jamie, Dani ducks her head lower and probes playfully at her entrance with the tip of her tongue, circling it before lapping at her wetness, groaning when Jamie's taste, already familiar to her, graces her tongue. "Shit, fucking— _shit_ , yes, _Dani_ —" 

Jamie's grinding down on her tongue and against her cheeks and over her mouth with such desperation that Dani feels like she's drunk with want. She loves the way Jamie coats her with her desire, the way her hips chase after her tongue, the way her thighs tremble with the effort not to close around Dani's head, the way she grabs at her own chest and pinches at her nipples, the way she throws her head back and lets out a long, choked note—

"Shit, _Dani_ , right there!" 

The way she says her name. 

Dani squeezes at Jamie's ass again, burying her fingers hungrily into plump flesh as she takes control of the pace and _feasts_ , lashing, unrelenting, at Jamie's clit until Jamie's close to coming, shaking, hips struggling to match each stroke.

" _Fuck_ , Dani, I'm gonna— _Christ_ , I'm—" 

Jamie never gets to finish her sentence, her body erupting in shivers as Dani anchors her hands into Jamie's hips, encouraging her to grind fast and hard against her tongue, loving the way Jamie does so with such intensity, such frustration, such ecstasy until she's trembling away, too spent and too sensitive.

" _You_ ," Jamie growls against her, crawling back down but capturing Dani's jaw in quivering hands, "are _fuckin_ ' talented, you know that?" 

Dani can only hum, flattered, too busy surging up to kiss Jamie and share the delectable taste of her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, i would just like to say that i am BLOWN AWAY by all of you like?? WOW HOLY SHIT THANK YOU??? thank you so much for the support, i didn't anticipate how much love this fic would get and my mind is BLOWN. i am BLOWN AWAY, thank you all so much 🥰
> 
> HDKWHDKWHW okay so right! that's the last of this smutfest for now, but we've still got a ton of chapters SO ✊😌
> 
> like, up to chapter 10 is written, currently in the process of writing chapter 11. this is a longer ride than i ever thought it would be but i can't help it! i don't know how to stop myself! 
> 
> well, in either case, we've got some time to take a breather from everything that's happening here so do with this what you will ❤️
> 
> next chapter will up overmorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

By the time they finally wake up again, it's already half past nine. 

Even then, they linger on the bed to earnestly welcome the new day, breathing comfortably in the shared space with Dani's head resting on Jamie's chest, Jamie half-propped up on the pillows beside her and flicking the ash of her cigarette into an ashtray on her bedside table.

"Y'know," Jamie offers after Dani finishes her abridged tale of _The Life and Times of Danielle Clayton_ , and though Dani can't see her face, she knows there's a wicked glint in the brunette's smile, "if your ex-boyfriend ever troubles you again, I can always set him straight for ya, if you fancy."

"You're welcome to try," Dani says with a soft snort, tracing the Leo constellation across Jamie's sternum before continuing on to Virgo. "Doubt he'll bother me when I'm an ocean away, though."

"Bollocks," Jamie curses playfully, and Dani feels her shift, putting out her stubbed cigarette before settling back in. "An' here I was, thinkin' I could have a go at bein' a knight in shinin' armour."

Dani laughs at that, sweeping her lips down to Jamie's clavicle. Fingers swoop down to cup her jaw, urging her higher, and Dani obliges with a growing smile, feeling her heart trip pleasantly when Jamie's eyes flutter down to marvel at it.

They're already leaning closer when three sharp knocks echo from somewhere beyond the living room. 

"Ah, _fuck_ —" Jamie hisses against her cheek, reluctantly pulling away from their tangle of limbs to glare, almost petulantly, past the open doorway and towards the front door. "That would be Mikey."

Dani can only smile softly, bashfully, reaching out to tuck an unruly curl behind Jamie's ear and revelling when the brunette leans into the touch, lips still slightly pushing forward into a pout. "Do you want me to stay here and wait for you to leave before I slip out? I promise I won't steal anything."

"Poppins, why on earth would I want that?" Jamie's eyebrows furrow in confusion, head tipping to the other side, blinking as if she's trying to see past a haze.

"I mean—don't you… don't you want me to go?" 

A short, bubble of surprised laughter erupts from Jamie's chest, and now it's Dani's turn to be confused, letting out a soft note of bewilderment that lingers between her teeth until Jamie's leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

"Not particularly, no, unless you want to. Dunno how it isn't obvious yet but I'd quite like to get to know you better, Dani," Jamie answers amusedly, sweeping around to press a second kiss to her other cheek, and then up to the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes. "M'not gonna hide ya from my brother, or any of my mates for that matter. Said as much when I told you 'bout brunch. Mentioned it last night, haven't I?" 

Dani ducks her head sheepishly, feeling embarrassment burn at the tips of her ears, suddenly finding herself incapable of looking Jamie in the eyes. 

"D'ya want to spend a little bit more time together, Poppins?"

Dani does, and so she nods. 

"D'ya want to meet my friends?" 

Dani does, and so she nods again. 

"D'ya want to leave?" 

Dani almost nods instinctively—repetitively—but then Jamie's question registers, and she immediately shakes her head. "I just didn't think you'd—" 

"D'ya wanna go on a date some time?" Dani's eyebrows shoot up, finally looking back at Jamie, who only grins and teases her with a finger tracing a lopsided circle across her navel. "A proper date, y'know, one that isn't us in my dinin' room without any trousers on… although, I can't say I'm opposed to that, either."

"Yeah?" Dani can't deny that she's feeling a little hopeful, that it bleeds into the thickness of her voice when Jamie leans forward to press their foreheads together.

"Yeah, Dani. I mean— _fuck_ , the look of ya wearin' my shirt, curled up in my chair, bare-arsed and stuffin' your cheeks silly with good food," Jamie teases with a ringing laugh, poking at Dani's cheek playfully. "Those were nice—"

Three more knocks, and then Jamie's groaning and pulling away, tossing a dark look over her shoulder and snapping, "Christ, Mikey, get bent!" 

"Get _dressed,_ " the voice outside the door snaps back, followed by a hearty laugh. "Seriously, James, everyone's waitin' on ya!" 

"Well, they can wait five more bloody minutes!" 

With a sigh, Jamie finally hops up to her feet, and Dani—well, Dani takes a second to marvel at her gloriously naked figure before following suit. 

"Here," Jamie murmurs, motioning to the dresser, clothes already tossed over her shoulder. "Help yourself, I've got more flannels in there if ya want. Lemme jus' grab your knickers and jeans from the dryer, yeah?" 

"Thank you," Dani hums, grinning when Jamie plasters another kiss to the corner of her lips before sashaying away. She pours through the selection of shirts before, much like the night before, electing to pull out another cotton-soft flannel: olive-green, this time. 

Jamie returns less than a minute later when Dani's finished clasping her bra onto her chest, tugging the button-down onto her shoulders. Jamie herself has also changed into new clothes, a Pat Benatar shirt shorn off at the midriff and black, studded jean-shorts that does delightful _wonders_ to her thighs—and to Dani's stomach, flipping enthusiastically at the sight.

"Right then, leg up," Jamie orders around the filter of her lit cigarette, kneeling down with a soft puff and holding Dani's underwear out.

The sight is… really domestic, and it strikes Dani, again, just how _easy_ it is, being here with Jamie. It's like she's found a place where she doesn't have to hammer at her edges until she fits. If anything, it's like she doesn't even have to _fit_ at all, she simply has to _be_ , and the space will mold itself around her.

Does it matter if she'd only met Jamie yesterday while making unabashed _sex-eyes_ while the brunette sang on stage? They've already decided to try out dating, anyway. Said as much, Jamie did. Who cares about the chronological order? 

Grinning at the revelation she's found, Dani steps into her underwear, blinking fondly as Jamie drags it up her legs. Next comes her jeans, and while it's a bit of a struggle, Dani having to sit on the edge of the mattress while she does her buttons for Jamie to be able to tug it up her calves, they eventually get the button afixed around her hips.

"You know what?" Jamie asks as Dani's tucking the bottom of the shirt into her jeans. She looks up, waiting for Jamie to continue. "Really fuckin' like you in my clothes."

"Flirt," Dani teases, leaning forward and pressing her own kiss to the curve of Jamie's jaw, elated when Jamie's hand darts out to tug her close by her beltloops. "Jamie, your brother—" 

"—can wait ten more seconds," Jamie answers for her, capturing her lips in a slow but searing kiss that makes her heart crest like a great wave in her chest. They waste _exactly_ ten seconds just standing there, kissing, and then they're walking into the bathroom to brush their teeth, Jamie manifesting a new, unused toothbrush from her cupboard.

Finally, they tug their socks and shoes onto their feet—Dani with her sneakers and Jamie with her boots—before strolling to the front door with a full minute to spare.

Jamie yanks it open, and a body all but nearly collapses inside in a graceless heap, only barely managing to catch himself with a foot forward that nearly squashes the toe of Jamie's boot.

"Mikey, you _twat_ , the fuck were you doin' leanin' against my door like that," Jamie reprimands, playfully flicking at the air an inch shy of his ear. He ducks away anyway, feigning pain. 

"You said you were only gonna be five minutes!" 

"It's only been _four_ minutes, you bellend!" 

Despite the volume of their complaints, it's easy enough to see that they're close.

It's also easy enough to see that they're related:

While Michael is most certainly _much_ taller than Jamie, and Michael's cool blue eyes are a far cry from Jamie's smouldering hazel, they share the same curled, umber locks and angular jawline, the same defiant jut of the chin, the same confident flair.

It's even more distinct when they both turn to Dani and flash her equally warm smiles.

"Hi," Michael chirps enthusiastically, throwing his hand out between them, and Dani meets it and gives it a firm shake. "I'm Michael Taylor, Jamie's brother. Very pleased to meet you, Miss..?"

"Dani Clayton," Dani supplies with a smile. "It's nice to meet you." 

"Well, Dani Clayton, I have to thank you for all the good work you do." At Dani's confused expression, Michael continues. "You know, for pulling the stick out of Jamie's arse—" 

"Shove off, you wanker," Jamie grunts, careening her shoulder into Michael's side and grinning when he quite obviously pretends that the force is enough to throw him out the door, all bold, coy exaggeration. "Well? C'mon then?" 

Michael gives them a salute before marching down the stairs.

In the silence he leaves in his gangly wake, Dani ends up staring at Jamie—and then _laughing_.

"Oi, what's so funny—" 

"Jamie, I think we forgot something," she manages through several spurts of giggling, pressing the heel of her hand to her lips to try and stifle the sound.

"Yeah?" Jamie arches an eyebrow at her. "What's that?" 

"Your hair," Dani answers with a motion towards the tousled, haphazard, mussed mop of curls that, without a shadow of doubt, can only be described as ' _I've done nothing but have sex for almost twelve hours, what of it_ '-hair. "It's—I mean, it looks good, it looks _really_ good, but…"

"Well, if it looks good, then why change it?" Jamie tosses her head to the side, irises twinkling with mischief. "And if it reminds you of how we had such a good a time, and reminds you that we can keep on _havin'_ a good time, then even better."

"Good idea," Dani acquiesces with a smile, leaning forward to tangle their lips together and run her fingers through Jamie's hair. "Although, I don't think it'll be fair to your friends if I suddenly just dragged you back up here."

"I don't think it'll be fair to _me_ if you don't," Jamie laughs, and then she's reaching around and slipping her fingers into the back pocket of Dani's jeans, squeezing at her ass playfully. "'Sides, who said anythin' 'bout us havin' to come back here to knock boots, huh?"

With the promise of that lingering on her tongue, Jamie takes her hand and leads her downstairs.

Jamie's friends are huddled in a corner booth when they hit the landing, heads perking up to watch them with matching grins. Dani recognizes their faces from last night's show, except for one—a beautiful woman with dark skin and a shaved head, all ethereal and elegant as she welcomes their approach with a wide smile.

"Michael said we have a guest," the woman starts warmly, motioning for the two of them to sit. They pile into the side of the booth with only one occupant—Rebecca, Dani remembers—Jamie squeezing in between the both of them. "Hannah Grose, sometimes manager, mostly their keeper. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Introductions ring around the table, each one rising to shake her hand kindly, and though Dani would've originally assumed that brunch would be an awkward moment, she quickly finds that getting along with Jamie's friends is almost as easy as getting along with Jamie herself.

They're nice people. They don't shut Dani out of the conversation, always turning to her and making sure she feels included, asking her sincere questions that never feel performative, and, like Jamie has been all throughout, Dani finds that they mold easily around her edges, never demanding for her to have to alter the way she presses against them.

It's less of a perfect fit and more of an _open_ one. They aren't like pieces, finely crafted to accommodate her, they shift and change like the ceaseless tide, allowing her entry and spilling into the spaces she has, gives space where she spills out in kind, and it's incredibly freeing to just—to just _be._

Dani happily clings onto that thought through brunch. 

"Dani," Rebecca calls to her an hour later as they finally nibble their way through dessert.

Dani turns to her, leaning slightly against Jamie's lap to see her better; Jamie, in response, presses a little further back into her chair, but one of her arms comes up to hang lazily across Dani's shoulders, and Dani thinks she can certainly get used to the added weight. "Yeah?" 

"You should come to Caesius with us tomorrow."

"Caesius?"

"Fuck, Becca, you're right," Jamie jumps in with a puff of laughter, tugging a little at Dani's shoulders so that she can look at her. "Caesius is a place a little bit South from here where a bunch of nobody bands go to make music. Every so often, a handful of producers like to dress up and scout for talents."

"If you play well and they like you," Owen adds with a tip of his head, motioning at the whole group with his fork, "you can get signed for a record deal. We like giving it a shot every once in a while, just to spice things up."

"Every once in a while?" Dani asks. "Why only then?" 

"It's 'cause we're not necessarily in this for the fame," Michael answers over the rim of his glass. "We jus' like playin' live and havin' fun on stage. We don't need a record label to do that, but, y'know, if it lands in a heap in our laps, then why not, right?" 

The group hums its assent, and Dani thinks she understands. A come-what-may. As long as they're enjoying themselves, doing what they love, who cares about what the future may bring? 

Dani's been living the same way the past five months, although hers has been admittedly less fun and more... taxing.

"So," Jamie continues, dragging Dani's attention back to raised eyebrows and a devilish smile, "are you free tomorrow 'til Friday? Wanna come with us to a gig?" 

"I mean—yeah, if that's alright with everyone..?" 

"Of course," Hannah responds with a serene, sincere nod. "We'd love to have you."

— 🎸 —

By sundown, Dani's faced with the glaring realisation that she has to eventually return to her tiny, shoebox apartment. Admittedly, she _really_ doesn't want to—Jamie's hand is too warm in hers as they drive closer and closer to their destination—but she has to come home at least _once_ , doesn't she?

It's not like she can expect to play house with Jamie so soon after meeting her. It's been, what, less than a day? Most people would find that weird and, as much as she'd rather not care about what _most people_ think, there's still the glaring possibility that one of those people might be Jamie or any of her friends.

She'd honestly rather not risk that.

"Here we are, Poppins," Jamie says, truck rolling to a stop in front of Dani's apartment building.

They stare at it for a beat, Jamie's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the unwashed masonry, lips curling down in dismay.

" _Please_ tell me it's cleaner on the inside than it looks from the outside."

"That would be lying," Dani laughs sadly, figuring that Jamie would appreciate her honesty above a white lie, "but, you know, it's all I have right now with the, as you said, _rubbish_ job prospects of Bly."

"No offense, Dani, but this place looks like shite."

"It _does_." 

"You're not bein' very convincin' right now, Poppins." Dani turns around to face Jamie, confused at the torn expression contorted on the brunette's face. "I feel like if I drop ya off here, you might get murdered. And I quite like ya _un_ -murdered."

"I've been here for five months, Jamie," Dani laughs in earnest, leaning to the side to press a placating kiss against the corner of Jamie's mouth, keeping her lips there until she feels it shift into a tiny smile. "I've survived this long, haven't I?" 

"God, that's what they always say in rubbish horror movies _before_ they get butchered," Jamie groans helplessly. "Jesus, Dani, how do you sleep at night?" 

"Well, I close my eyes first," Dani teases, reaching up to twirl a brown curl around her finger. "I'll be fine, Jamie. Really. You'll pick me up tomorrow, right?" 

"Bright and early," Jamie ascertains with a nod of her head, and Dani gives her a final, full kiss on the lips before making a move for the door. She's barely halfway out when a hand flutters gently across her shoulder, followed by Jamie's quiet, " _Wait_."

Dani turns to her with a small smile. "Yeah?" 

"Hold on, I'm a fuckin' idiot," Jamie grumbles, rifling through her pocket before pulling out her phone, unlocking it, and handing it over to Dani. "Can I have your number?" 

"Isn't there supposed to be a pickup line that precedes that?" Dani's smirk turns teasing as she watches Jamie's eyebrow arch high.

"You want a pickup line?" Jamie hums for a second, thinking, before raising one hand to brush her curls up and out of her face, grinning impishly. "I seem to have lost my number, can I have yours?" 

Dani absolutely _loses it_.

Just full on _loses_ it, doubling over and folding her elbows above the glovebox to hide her face, laughing hard until her cheeks hurt and her stomach aches, laughing until she's _snorting_ , laughing until she's pretty much _crying_ , and then Jamie's _cackling_ with her and—oh. 

_Oh_. 

This must be what it's like to be so completely yourself with another person that everything else doesn't seem to matter anymore.

This must be what it's like to find someone you don't have to pretend with, someone who likes your company without judgement, without consequences, without expectations. 

This must be what it's like to just… _like_ someone, and have them like you _back_ , even when you're making the most embarrassing sound in the throes of euphoric laughter, slapping a hand across the dashboard because your stomach is _tense_ and your cheeks are _burning_ and your eyes are _watering_ and your heart is _flying_.

This must be it. 

This _must_ be it. 

" _God_ ," Jamie manages to choke out, almost doubled over herself over the steering wheel. "Jesus, that bad, huh?" 

"A little," Dani confesses, brushing her own tears away before plucking Jamie's phone from her hand, "but I'm giving it to you anyway because I like you."

She enters her number into Jamie's phone and shoots a text to herself before handing the device back to Jamie and bringing her own out to save Jamie's. For a second, they flash a tentative look at each other over their screens, and then, almost completely in sync, they bring their phones up and snap each other's pictures to save as their contact photos.

"There, _hotshot_ , you finally got yourself a number," Dani jokes, leaning forward to press a final, _final_ kiss to Jamie's lips. "Tomorrow?" 

"Tomorrow," Jamie confirms with a nod, "and bring a change of clothes, unless you wanna ransack mine… which I don't mind, by the way. Jus' let me know."

"Maybe bring one of your flannels," Dani says, then, after a beat, adds boldly, "maybe even the one you ate me out in on the kitchen counter."

She ducks out of Jamie's truck with a grin, smiling victoriously as she throws a sultry look back over her shoulder and sees Jamie's wanton expression, all hooded eyes and slack jaw. 

Jamie eventually gets the last laugh, however, when she sends a message to Dani later that night, a simple " _you mean this flannel? xx_ ", followed by a picture of her in that exact shirt… but _without_ everything else, just a straight stretch of her skin from the roguish smile just barely included in the top frame to the whisper of dark curls that disappears into the bottom frame.

Dani had been dead-on the night before. 

She is completely, absolutely, and irrevocably _fucked_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting a bit of a breather today, no smut but i'll definitely be coming 🥁
> 
> there are. quite a handful coming, actually AGSJGA
> 
> right so! these two will be the death of me, they're so fucking adorable ALREADY and like? maybe one day i can write a slow burn, but right now my brain insists on "it's almost like they've known each other forever" so like. sue me. i will give myself up willingly! ✋😔 i plead guilty on all charges. 
> 
> i just badly want them to be happy 🥺 
> 
> anyway, thank you again for the overwhelming responses, the support, the love 🥰 like i am really, really stunned? am i still dreaming? wow, thank you!
> 
> ALSO. if any if you wanna come scream at me, you can reach out to me at audacity#6505 via discord! i'd love to have ya!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs;  
> 🎸 valerie (cover) - amy winehouse

Being back in her apartment for the night is strange. 

More than the fact that, in terms of aesthetic, it's leagues below Jamie's cute, charming, rustic flat, it seems like her own walls have shifted in her absence, and, now, it feels like she fits even poorly in it than she had when she left the day before. It's like the walls have expelled all the breath from its lungs, contracting and constricting, and now it's smaller and it's tighter and it's threatening to swallow Dani whole. 

Which is silly, really; houses can't breathe, rooms don't just start tightening for no reason… except, lying in her bed at half past twelve, Dani feels like she might be drowning. 

Her fingers tighten around the paper-thin blanket she's tossed away from her legs, legs that are now curled up to her chest, and the air flowing in from the partially cracked window (cracked, as in equal parts open _and_ actually cracked) is never quite enough for her to manage a good inhale. Instead, it stutters somewhere between her throat and her chest, takes a detour, misses the right exit, arrives at its destination, but then leaves far too quickly for Dani to catch it. She closes her eyes and tries to focus on snagging it between her fingers, but every time she does, it always slips away… like wind. 

And that would be funny if Dani isn't trying not to maybe die, thoughts racing but never lingering on anything substantial.

Light blooms from somewhere to her left, and Dani just manages to turn her head and stare at her phone, screen lit up for a reason she can't quite see through the misty haze in her eyes. It dims, then brightens again. Dims, then brightens. Dims, then brightens. 

There's almost a rhythm to it, Dani thinks. Without even thinking, she's matching her breathing to the blinking light, inhaling for as long as the screen stays lit up and exhaling for as long as the screen is dim, and then when her phone stays dark, she's focused enough to keep following the same pattern of breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out until she reaches some semblance of normalcy.

It's only a few minutes later that Dani realizes that it had been messages lighting her phone. 

Jamie's messages, when she swipes past her lockscreen, squinting against the brightness to view them:

 **Jamie [12:38 AM]**  
i wasn't supposed to pack until tomorrow  
but i can't fall asleep  
so i figured, might as well, right?  
try to do something productive for a spell  
so be proud of me x

 **Jamie [12:41 AM]**  
look!  
[packingshite.jpg]  
dunno if i should be proud or concerned that everything fit in one bag  
proud, then  
a testament of my mad folding skills  
a fucking professional, me

 **Jamie [12:48 AM]**  
still can't sleep btw  
and shite, i hope to god your phone's on silent  
sorry poppins  
dunno if you knew what you signed up for  
come for the good sex, stay for the annoying prat  
annoying prat being me, of course

Dani can't help it. She starts smiling, endeared by Jamie's packing adventure and the photo of her luggage, a black spinner bag, with her mint-green Les Paul just barely poking out from the corner of the frame. Brushing the last of the tears from her eyes, Dani pulls out her keypad and starts typing a response. 

I thought it was cute  
Definitely, 100% proud of you!

 **Jamie [12:52 AM]**  
christ i didn't wake you up did i?

Thanks, by the way  
No, you didn't!  
I've been awake  
… kinda

 **Jamie [12:52 AM]**  
thanks for what, poppins?  
see, on one hand, i'm relieved i didn't wake ya  
on the other hand… why are you still awake?

For making me smile  
Can't sleep either

 **Jamie [12:52 AM]**  
do you wanna talk about it?

Is it okay if we don't?

 **Jamie [12:53 AM]**  
perfectly okay, poppins  
can i call ya?  
if that's alright?

Of course

No less than ten seconds later, her screen is abuzz with an incoming call, a picture of Jamie in the driver seat with her cheeks flushed from laughter displaying on her screen. Dani lingers for a second to marvel at it, lips quirking up at the memory, before finally swiping to accept the call. 

" _Hullo_?" 

Jamie's voice does surprising wonders to Dani's nerves, soothing it with a familiar gentlensss until it's crackling low under her skin, easier to ignore in favor of the music pulsing distantly from her phone, likely Jamie's record player running a Lita Ford vinyl in the background.

"Hey," she answers, except it's more of a relieved, rushed exhale, shoulders finally relaxing as she presses the phone to her ear. Dani clears her throat and tries again, "Hey, Jamie."

"Hey, Poppins." If Dani closes her eyes, she can almost imagine the soft smile playing on Jamie's face. "Everythin' alright? Any creeps that need a'kickin'?" 

Dani laughs quietly, mindful of the thin walls of her apartment, leaning back against the pillows. "No creeps in sight, all fingers and organs accounted for."

"That's good," she hears Jamie murmur, voice low and warm and thick, and Dani feels her heart finally settle with a familiar swell, mercifully distracted from its earlier sprint. "I packed the flannel you like, by the way. Thought you should know."

The memory sends heat seeping into her cheeks, and, even in the privacy of her apartment, Dani raises her free hand to hide her shy grin. "Now I'm kinda torn on whether I want to wear it or I want _you_ to wear it."

"Reckon it'd look equally good on a motel floor," comes Jamie's teasing quip, and the implication of it sears itself into Dani's mind. 

" _Jamie_!" 

"M'just sayin', Poppins," Jamie says with a light, vibrant laugh that makes Dani's stomach spin. "How're you feelin'?" 

"Better," Dani answers, and she startles to find that she's being honest—she feels better than she had been moments ago, the last of the directionless energy giving way to the easy comfort that Jamie never fails to bring. "Much better."

"I'm glad." Dani hears the music fade away, followed by the spark of a lighter and a rustle of sheets; she can only assume that Jamie has returned to her bedroom, propped herself up on her pillows, and lit up a cigarette. "You excited for tomorrow? Well, more like later today, isn'it?" 

"I am," Dani admits with a nod, eyes straying to the duffle bag propped up in the corner of her studio room. "I have the green flannel clean and folded, too."

Jamie snorts softly over the static of the call. "Keep it for now, yeah?"

"Oh no, I can't possibly—" 

"Dani, s'alright. I have heaps of flannel, can bear to lose one to ya," Jamie reassures, and Dani can hear the crinkle of burning tobacco, Jamie's exhale of smoke. "'Sides. Like I said. You look good in my clothes. Wouldn't mind seein' you in 'em again, if you don't mind."

They talk for what feels like hours, chattering back and forth about little things, switching between casual conversation and charged banter until, inevitably, someone falls asleep. It's Dani who succumbs first, her last memory being her and Jamie talking about their favourite 20's musicians; she remembers her eyes closing to herald a yawn, and then when she opens them again, light is already filtering through her curtains.

The call has since ended over the course of the early morning, but Dani delights anyway when she sees a message Jamie's left behind:

 **Jamie [3:56 AM]  
** sweet dreams, poppins x  
just call me if you need company, yeah?

— 🎸 —

By the time Dani hits the pavement outside of her apartment building, duffle bag in hand, it's a quarter to ten in the morning. The sun is out, the wind is chilly, and the band is parked outside by the curb, smoking and chatting beside a Volkswagen van. 

"Dani!"

Owen's the first to greet her, waving her over to the back of the van and tossing it open for her to put her bag in. Dani makes a move to follow, but stops when she finally catches sight of Jamie:

Jamie, who's leaning against the wall of the building, all black band shirt with cuffed sleeves and denim overalls and last night's cotton-soft red flannel and that _stupidly_ attractive smirk plastered on her face as she regards Dani in kind. The brunette offers her a slow nod, cigarette dangling from her lips, curls tied loosely away from her face and— _oh_ , her reaction is so immediate that it's almost Pavlovian, the way Dani flushes at the sight, flushes at the memory of the night prior, flushes at the way Jamie smoulders at her.

Who knew smouldering could look so attractive?

"Dani?" Owen's voice shakes Dani out of her wanton reverie, blushing harder as she ducks to the other side of the van. "You alright? You seem a bit shaken up."

"I'm fine," Dani assuages quicker than she'd like, burning profusely with embarrassment and handing over her luggage. "I'm fine, it's just, uh—it's a hot day, isn't it?" 

"Really? I think it's a bit chilly," Owen comments, entirely puzzled but tucking her bag next to theirs anyway, and Dani kind of wants to scream because it _is_ chilly, but now she can't really wear the jacket she's packed with her because she'd literally just said that it's a hot day. "You Americans are quite the strange creatures."

"Ha, you don't know the half of it," Dani offers awkwardly, hoping to all hell and back that Owen doesn't notice the likely very obvious red of her cheeks.

"Well then, Dani, we're just waiting for Rebecca to show up, and then we'll be on our way." With a kind smile, Owen closes the backdoor of the van before setting off to resume his conversation with Hannah, leaving Dani—leaving Dani with Jamie, who seems to have materialised from thin air behind him.

"You're not very subtle, are you?" Jamie's eyes are alight with waggish mirth, the cigarette she's been carrying discarded somewhere between when Dani had last seen her and now.

"Hard to be when you look like that," Dani grumbles under her breath, braving a look around the van to check where everybody is and if anybody's looking at them.

"You quite like feedin' my ego, don't y—" 

Dani crashes her lips onto Jamie's, backing the brunette up against the rear of the van and groaning when she feels strong fingers wrap around her waist before tucking into her back pockets. Her own hands fly up to bury in Jamie's curls, pulling her closer, pressing body against body and shivering when she feels Jamie's hips catch playfully against hers.

She makes a quiet, breathless sound that's smothered in their kiss, in the hot press of Jamie's tongue along hers that threatens to buckle her knees, in the responding growl Jamie makes against her, in the flash of teeth as Jamie's teeth sink into her lower lip and nibbles there, causing Dani to arch forward into her solid body. 

"You're startin' somethin' you can't finish, Dani," she hears Jamie groan against her, smirking when Jamie's lips teeter from her mouth to her cheek, down to the side of her neck, and the fingers in Dani's pockets squeeze playfully, Dani barely managing to bite down on a surprised squeak when Jamie makes her grind her hips forward.

"I'm not starting anything," Dani teases in response, eyelids fluttering as Jamie's teeth skirt the line of her clavicle. "Just wanted to say hi."

"You have a funny way of sayin' hi," Jamie whispers, bucking her hips against Dani, and Dani can only hiss out her delight in answer, fingers tight in Jamie's hair. "S'this an American thing?" 

"It's an ' _I see what you're doing'_ thing," Dani barely manages to gasp out when Jamie's insistent teeth sweep up to the underside of her jaw. She feels one of Jamie's hands slip out of her pockets, grab at the loose ends of her hair, and pull incessantly, urging Dani to throw her head back. She obliges, naturally, wanting to give herself over to the sensation, barely even recalling where they are.

"Do ya?" Jamie's question is groaned against her skin when she cants her hips forward, slams Jamie's lightly against the van, hard enough for Jamie to feel it but soft enough that it barely makes a sound. "Tell me, Poppins, what exactly am I doin'?" 

And Dani would tell her—if they don't spring apart first at the sound of a door opening and closing coming from the front of the van, just out of sight.

With a great, trembling breath, Dani steps away from Jamie and runs a hand through her hair… then runs a hand through Jamie's hair once she sees the mess her fingers have left behind, hairtie only barely hanging on to a tangle of locks.

"Sorry," she offers sheepishly, plucking the tie out and motioning for Jamie to turn around, "I keep doing that, don't I?" 

"Like it when you do that," Jamie mumbles thickly, swollen lips hitching up into a roguish smirk before complying. "What're you—" 

Dani answers by carding her fingers back through Jamie's hair, collecting any defiant strands and then wrapping the band around it neatly with a proud hum. "There. All good."

When Jamie turns back around, Dani notices a soft flush to her face and an appreciative glow in her eyes. "Thanks," Jamie says quietly, smirk melting into the tender kind of smile that makes Dani's heartbeat flutter delightedly.

Their intimacy, even that of the night before, is easy and familiar and comfortable. She knows that, normally, this kind of feeling comes only to those who have been together for a considerable amount of time—but it's different with Jamie, different when Jamie regards her with a bashful grin and reaches for her, happy enough to settle with holding her hand and dragging her back to the front of the van, different when the rest of her friends shift and allow her entry into their circle without issue, without fuss, without force. 

The feeling lingers until later, when Rebecca finally arrives, heralded by a chiming but entirely unapologetic " _I'm dreadfully sorry about my tardiness,_ " and they file into the van that Dani learns from Michael is, as he says it, a marvelously expensive classic.

"It's called a Volkswagen T1," he explains, turned over from his seat in the middle row. "Awfully expensive, this. It's ancient, but we all like chippin' in to make sure it takes care of us. Parts are a bitch and a half to buy, though—pain in the arse, really."

"One might even say," Owen pipes up from the driver seat, "that it _drives you up a wall_." 

His pun is met by a chorus of groans, causing Dani to snicker into her palm.

"Come on," she offers good-naturedly, "it wasn't _that_ bad."

Owen's delighted " _why, thank you, Dani_ " is directly contrasted by Jamie's snort, leaning closer into her side and throwing her legs up into Dani's lap, grumbling, "Don't _encourage_ him, Poppins."

"Jamie," Hannah reprimands lightly, flashing them a gentle look through the rearview mirror. "Let the poor man have his fun every once in a while."

"This is his only opportunity to make jokes without Jamie pretending to strangle him," Rebecca whispers from where she's seated next to Michael. "If one could even call them jokes."

"Hey, I heard that!" 

"Love you, Owen!" 

If there even is a lull in conversation, it's filled easily enough by Hannah turning on the sound system and plugging in her phone, scrolling through several different playlists before settling on an album by Amy Winehouse, which surprises Dani as much as it pleases her. 

Owen's tapping happily on the steering wheel as he drives, and Hannah's leaning back comfortably in her seat. Michael's pressed against the window, watching the countryside pass by, and Rebecca's on her phone, pinning images to her Pinterest board. Jamie's still curled up against her side, legs thrown up in her lap and arm strewn over the back of their seat, bent around her neck, scratching lazily at the skin under Dani's ear as she pours through a book with her other hand. 

And then, the most wonderfully magical thing happens.

As the starting notes of Amy Winehouse's cover of "Valerie" play from the speakers, Dani feels Jamie shift a little straighter by her side, putting her book down in her lap before reaching forward, placing a warm hand on top of Dani's, which are settled peacefully on Jamie's upper thigh.

" _Well sometimes I go out by myself,  
_ _And I look across the water.  
_ _And I think of all the things, what you're doing,  
_ _And in my head I paint a picture_."

Unlike last night's raw, husky performance, Jamie's voice now comes out full and strong. Dani turns to look at her, marvelling at the easy smile on Jamie's face, the way her eyes flutter shut as she gets lost in the music. 

"' _Cause since I've come on home,  
_ _Well, my body's been a mess,  
_ _And I've missed your ginger hair,  
_ _And the way you like to dress.  
_ _Won't you come on over?  
_ _Stop making a fool out of me.  
_ _Why don't you come on over, Valerie?_ " 

And with the repeated name as the song hits its chorus, Dani delights even further when the rest of the band, including Hannah, chime in, matching each other's tones high and low with such natural, melodic precision that Dani feels goosebumps erupting on her skin just from hearing it. 

" _Valerie,_ _Valerie,_ _Valerie._ "

Even with her eyes still closed, Dani watches as the corners of Jamie's lips hitch up, calloused fingers deftly turning hers over and tracing the lines of her palms as she continues. 

" _Did you have to go to jail,  
_ _Put your house on up for sale, did you get a good lawyer?  
_ _I hope you didn't catch a tan,  
_ _I hope you'll find the right man who'll fix it for ya.  
_ _Are you shopping anywhere,  
_ _Changed the color of your hair, and are you busy?  
_ _And did you have to pay that fine  
_ _That you were dodging all the time, are you still dizzy_?"

Jamie's fingers slip between her own and cling on, and Dani's dizzy now for entirely different reasons—dizzy from the way her own heart crests and spills against her chest, the way it crashes against her sternum, trying to be closer, _closer_ to Jamie.

" _Since I've come on home,  
_ _Well, my body's been a mess,  
_ _And I've missed your ginger hair,  
_ _And the way you like to dress.  
_ _Won't you come on over?  
_ _Stop making a fool out of me,  
_ _Why don't you come on over, Valerie?  
_ _Valerie, Valerie, Valerie._ "

Jamie's eyes finally open as she sings, pinning Dani with a look that can only be described as entirely happy and free, and Dani doesn't know what manner of euphoric creature possesses her to do it, but by the next set of words, she finds that she's joining in and singing. 

" _Well sometimes I go out by myself,  
_ _And I look across the water.  
_ _And I think of all the things, what you're doing,  
_ _And in my head I paint a picture_."

Jamie's eyebrows shoot up, and Dani can't exactly tell what expression is dawning on her face, but it must be positive because Jamie's tightening her grip and nodding encouragingly, bolstering Dani's confidence to keep going and chime in with them.

" _Since I've come on home,  
_ _Well, my body's been a mess,  
_ _And I've missed your ginger hair,  
_ _And the way you like to dress.  
_ _Won't you come on over?  
_ _Stop making a fool out of me.  
_ _Why don't you come on over, Valerie?  
_ _Valerie, Valerie, Valerie._  
 _Valerie, Valerie, Valerie.  
_ _Why don't you come on over, Valerie_?"

As the song bleeds out into its finale and turns over to "Cupid", Dani startles when she feels Jamie's hands fly up to both her cheeks, pull her closer, and kiss her fully on the lips. Distantly, she thinks she hears the rest of the van chuckle at the sight, but she's too distracted by the sweet, close-mouthed but entirely affectionate kiss Jamie's giving her.

"Poppins," Jamie breathes against her when they pull away, only by a fraction, Jamie's hands still cupping her face and keeping their foreheads flush together, "Christ, Poppins, you never told me you can sing!" 

Dani laughs shyly, murmuring, "I—I can't? I mean, I didn't know that I… can?" 

"You can, Poppins, _god_ , you can" Jamie laughs, pressing another, shorter kiss to her lips before turning over her shoulder and yelling, "Oi, she says she can't sing! _She_ , voice of an angel? Think my ears have been blessed. Were yours?" 

And a part of Dani thinks that maybe Jamie's just being nice since they're sort-of dating and all, but the rush of thrill colouring Jamie's cheeks, matched by the sincere and equally delighted grins on everyone else's faces, leaves no room for dishonesty.

They think she sounds nice. 

They think she sounds _great_.

All Dani can do is pitch forward and bury her face into Jamie's chest in embarrassment, sinking into the touch when Jamie wraps both arms around her neck and laughs some more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh y'all are still here 🤣 to anyone who has gotten this far with this fluff-fest, thank you so much!! i'll get back to all ur comments soon but your support means a lot to me ❤️
> 
> anyway, so like—  
> me, scrolling through an article on facebook about crushing tv character deaths:  
> the article: [shows bly manor]  
> me, already clutching a pillow to my chest as i start weeping INCONSOLABLY: BITCH STOP REMINDING ME
> 
> i will never not be upset, therefore, we will have HAPPY, CHEESY, CORNY, GOOEY CHAPTERS where they are alive and clearly falling head over heels for each other. now excuse me while i go back into my corner and CRY! 
> 
> oh also: next chapter's smut. telling y'all rn
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this update, because jamie and the band and dani singing valerie is just. it makes my broken heart feel better 👉👈🥺


	7. Chapter 7

Dani Clayton has always just assumed that her mouth will inevitably be the death of her. 

Whether it's by accidentally inviting a serial killer over for tea and biscuits, or trying to educate the wrong, ill-tempered person in some wild effort to change their mind, or even signing herself off into a loveless, heteronormative marriage until her own misery becomes the end of her, it's always been her mouth that'll get her in trouble one of these days. It's inexorable, really. She'll one day perish simply because she can't seem to: a. keep her mouth shut, or b. keep her mouth shut long enough to actually think about what she's about to agree to. 

Still, though; Dani has always also assumed that her end will be either violent, or at the very least dismal, so imagine her surprise when she instead finds that the death brought upon her by her own mouth is nothing short of euphoric.

An odd change of pace, but a welcome one at that. 

Her obliteration begins exactly the way Dani had always assumed it would start: with her mouth. 

Except, this time, instead of saying what will eventually lead her to her untimely demise, which Dani has always assumed would be the case, it's something else.

Namely, the way she had kissed Jamie silly by the back of the van before their trip even began. Harmless, really. Perfectly harmless, except for the fact that Jamie hasn't seem to have forgotten it, curled into her side under the blanket they share in the backseat, lips almost fused to the side of Dani's neck as Jamie's fingers trip along the inseam of her jeans.

"Remember when I warned ya you were startin' somethin' you can't finish," Jamie husks against her skin leisurely, shivers crawling up and down her spine at the sound of it. "Feels like someone needs a bit of discipline."

" _Jamie_ —" she hisses under her breath, eyelids fluttering when Jamie's touch brushes higher, slipping fully between thighs that have since fallen open under the privacy of the blanket, thighs that have since started trembling with anticipation. 

The rest of the occupants of the van are mercifully busy. Owen and Hannah are engaged in a deep conversation about Paris, one day, someday; Rebecca has her earphones plugged in, watching a movie on her phone, and Michael is asleep, curled up against the window and snoring lightly.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," Jamie grumbles, mouthing up to her ear and trapping a lobe between her teeth, catching slightly against her simple, stud earring.

"Don't stop," Dani manages in equal quiet, turning towards Jamie and revelling when the brunette plants a kiss on the arch of her brow.

"Good girl, Dani," Jamie praises quietly, and the sentence alone sends warmth seeping into her underwear, desperate and insistent. 

It's only a little heavy groping, a little teasing, she knows, but it doesn't stop the way she wants, wants badly, legs spreading further to allow Jamie access to the seam of her jeans at the apex of her thighs, brows furrowing when Jamie's touch braves towards it, tracing lightly over her clit through denim. Warmth rolls off of where Jamie's fingers are tracing lazy circles, lacking any pressure or insistence, and Dani bucks lightly into the cup of her palm, stomach quivering with desire.

She most certainly must be dying, she thinks. It's the only possible way she can explain this sexual exultation.

They keep at it for what seems like a while, Jamie's head tucked under her chin and teasing her through her pants, touch pleasurable but never enough to waltz her towards the edge, Dani with her head leaning against the headrest, one arm curled around Jamie's back and pulling her close. Dani closes her eyes, feigning sleep, but really, she's just focusing on the sensation of Jamie's muted press, seeking friction with tiny pivots of her hip but never enough to make it obvious—

"Anyone need to go to the loo?" 

Owen's voice rings out from the driver seat, startling all of the occupants into adrenaline-fueled alertness. In both their surprise, Jamie's fingers press a little too hard on her clit, and then Dani's _yelping_ out loud, bucking away from the touch and burning when everybody suddenly looks her way.

Worse, still, is the sound of Jamies' _terribly_ amused snort, smothered into the side of her neck.

"I—" Dani blusters, "I have to go. Real bad. Bathroom."

Heaven help her. 

Mercifully, or perhaps miraculously, everyone seems to shrug and accept her excuse—everyone except Rebecca, who lingers with a look far too smug to indicate that she's been fooled, and Dani can only hope that the ground swallows her whole.

"Bathroom," Jamie echoes teasingly, propping her chin on Dani's shoulder and pressing an annoying, self-satisfied smirk to her cheek, "Of course."

"You're in _so_ much trouble," Dani hisses through her teeth, attempting to summon her authoritative voice even when it trembles at the sight of Jamie's eyes, almost obsidian with desire.

"You sure I'm not the one who's s'posed to be sayin' that?" To make her (very convincing) point, Jamie presses against her clit again before pulling away, leaving Dani to tremble at the touch, tremble with excitement at the promise of more.

Five minutes feel like five hours, and Dani's close to collapsing by the time they manage to reach the closest gas station. With the calmest smile she can muster, she encourages everyone else to go first, knowing that they'll simply wander off into the neighbouring convenience store after, knowing that going last will buy her and Jamie some time.

The wait is almost agonising, and it doesn't help that Jamie knows this far too well, that Jamie leans against the back of the van and fixes Dani with a dark, interested look the whole time they're waiting, aware of the heat spilling between Dani's legs, begging to be addressed.

"When we go in there," Jamie mutters under her breath, pressing a soft flutter of fingers against Dani's jaw that contrasts the tightness in her voice, "I want you to tell me to stop if you ever feel uncomfortable, okay? Don't even hesitate. If you're not feeling it, if it's painful, if it feels wrong, tell me and I'll stop, alright?" 

Dani's struck by Jamie's consideration, the patient quirk of her lips as Jamie smiles despite the simmering lust in her eyes. "I will," she answers, pressing a kiss against Jamie's cheek, "I promise."

By the time the bathroom is free, Rebecca floating away with a " _we'll be at the store when you're done_ " (that could very well be a knowing comment if either of them had been paying attention), Dani and Jamie are close to the point of desperation, lips immediately tangling together when they rush into the door as soon Rebecca disappears around the corner, bolting it shut behind them.

"Bend over the sink," Jamie growls against the back of her neck, arms reaching around to unclasp the button of her jeans. Dani obliges, hands curling around the edges of the bowl-shaped sink that's surprisingly clean considering, groaning with want when Jamie yanks down her jeans and underwear, all the way past her sneakers before hanging them over her shoulder. "God, you're so fuckin' wet for me, Dani."

"Jamie, _please_ ," Dani sighs with a great tremble, hearing a rustle of clothes as Jamie sinks to her knees behind her. For a second, nothing happens, and Dani's halfway through another plea when she feels Jamie's tongue lick a searing, wet stripe across her folds, causing her hips to buck against the edge of the sink. "Fuck, _thank you_."

Dani doesn't know if it's the whine or if it's the gratitude. All she knows is that Jamie lets out an impossibly attractive sound from the back of her throat, and then hands are on her ass and spreading them, Jamie's tongue lapping fervently against her straining clit, causing her knees to buckle as pleasure careens from Jamie's ministrations and into the rest of her likely boneless body. 

Dani is most certainly dying all over again.

" _Fuck_ , Dani, how am I s'posed to punish ya if you keep thankin' me like that," she hears Jamie groan, mouthing each word against her skin and causing her hips to jerk into it, grinding furiously against Jamie's tongue. Her only answer is a shameless whine, quaking when Jamie presses a tongue harder against her clit before moving up and nudging against her entrance, teasing into it with just the tip that sends Dani's eyes rolling to the back of her head.

"Fuck me, Jamie," she almost begs, pressing her hips back and into Jamie's open mouth, "Jamie, _please_ —" 

Jamie's on her feet, bending over Dani's ass and pressing her chest to her spine. "Open your mouth," Jamie commands with a snap, and something about the whole situation makes Dani's desire multiply, obliging and letting her jaw fall open. "That's my girl," Jamie mutters, and then she's slipping fingers into Dani's mouth, reaching far and deep and _curling_ into the back of her throat and—

_Jesus Christ_ , Dani's never been so turned on in her life, the way Jamie makes her gag a little on her fingers, the way Jamie looks at her through the mirror with raw, uninhibited desire.

Jamie pulls her fingers out, glistening thick, and then Jamie's driving her hips forward, pressing Dani against the edge of the sink. "You're such a good girl for me," Jamie praises with a swift, sharp bite to her shoulder, and Dani's body erupts in delighted shivers at the combination, head thrown back to luxuriate in the way the brunette's hips grind against hers noncommittally. "Followin' what I say, when I say it. Think you can keep bein' obedient for me, Dani?"

Dani, too lost for words with the want coursing in her veins, can only nod dazedly, keeping her eyes boring into Jamie's through the mirror to communicate the same.

With a grunt, Jamie flutters the two slick fingers against her entrance, tracing around with a playful leisure that sends Dani's walls clenching maddeningly in anticipation. When she shifts her hips, the touch shifts away, caressing the curve of her backside before returning when she stills. For a while, it's the only thing Jamie does, driving her mad as she struggles to still her writhing body.

"Very good," Jamie mumbles when she finally stops the circle of her hips long enough to resemble something calm—calm that she isn't, that she can't truly be, when Jamie teases her like this. "Just a little more, love."

She wants, very badly, to cross her legs, if only to provide some semblance of relief. She's throbbing almost painfully with want, but Jamie's touches are always a centimetre shy of where she wants to be, and she thinks she might lose her mind when Jamie nibbles at the back of her neck.

Her entire body is shaking by the time two fingers sink into her, a barely-stifled moan erupting from the back of her throat when Jamie slips the other hand around her waist, rising to press into her clit. "You're doing so well," lauds Jamie, each touch deliriously slow as Dani chokes back a sob, walls tightening desperately around languid digits. "Fast or slow?" 

"Fast," Dani manages to answer, and then her eyebrows are pulling together when she feels Jamie's cadence pick up. "Faster," she repeats, body trembling when the request is met almost instantly. "Faster," she says again, toes curling when Jamie gets the picture—she want to come, hard and fast and gloriously, and Jamie finally puts her through her paces, thrusting with the kind of incessant fervour that coaxes a thick moan from between her teeth as her hips rise to meet it. 

"Keep your voice down, love," Jamie groans, pressing a reprimanding bite to the crook of her neck from behind, but Dani can barely feel it when both of Jamie's fingers are fucking her like this, relentless and unforgiving in their pace, wet sounds shattering all along the white tiles of the bathroom—" _God_ , Dani, I want you so fuckin' _bad_ , Jesus. _Fuck_ , the things you make me want to do to you."

Dani's eyes fall shut as a delicious tremble passes through her own body, from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, luxuriating in the words Jamie is pressing onto her sweat-covered skin, in the way Jamie's finger-fucking her like her life depends on it.

"Dani," she hears Jamie call out quietly, "do you think you can take one more, love?" 

One more. _Jesus_ —

"Yes," Dani's whining, meeting each of Jamie's angry thrusts, groaning low and guttural when she feels Jamie slip a third finger inside, and the stretch makes her cunt pulse with an almost shameless want. "God, Jamie, _Jamie—_ "

Jamie starts driving her own hips into the back of her hand, timing each press with a demanding thrust, fingertips hooking down to dig against the spot on her front wall that sends stars bursting behind her eyes, the other hand rubbing furiously at her clit in tight, delicious circles that makes her hips buck, almost possessed by desperation—

Dani has to sink her teeth into her tongue when she comes, struggling to stifle the sobbed cry that slams against the back of her throat as she fucks herself back onto Jamie's expert fingers, crashing into an orgasm that makes her entire body almost convulse with pleasure. 

But Jamie isn't stopping. If anything, Jamie's thrusts pick up _faster,_ the fingers on her clit pushing past the sensitivity to latch onto a lingering tendril of want and spreading it until it encompasses all of Dani's consciousness, body unravelling with a starved hunger, as if she hasn't even seen bliss in days.

"Do you think you can come again?" Jamie's question is whispered into her ear, never slowing, "Do you think you can come again for me?" 

"Fuck, _yes_ ," Dani manages to sob out, meeting each desperate corkscrew of Jamie's finger with her hips, hips that have taken a life of their own, gluttonous and greedy for Jamie's touch, "Please make me come again, Jamie."

"Jesus _fuck_ , Dani," Jamie hisses into her hair, her own thrusts growing desperate, and Dani's thighs close around her hands to increase the building pressure inside of her, bouncing with each aggressive push onto her clit, into her heat, hot tears spilling from her eyes because it feels so fucking _good_ and Dani doesn't think she'll ever want for anything else anymore, not when Jamie's fucking her like this, not when Jamie's looking at her again through the mirror, lips parted and eyes dark in worship—

"I want you to come for me _now,_ pretty girl."

Dani sobs in relief as her body shatters in ecstasy, every cell alive and singing with something that tastes like rapture, like _ascension_ , and she can't hold back the wet cry that echoes from her lips as Jamie fucks her through her orgasm until she's boneless and twitching, hips still canting involuntarily despite the fact that her clit has grown hypersensitive in the aftermath, cunt aching with exertion.

"Jesus," Jamie whispers, fingers still inside at Dani's whined insistence. Dani can feel each casual twitch, each shift, and god, she's _spent_ but it feels far too _good_ to ignore. "Jesus, Dani, where have you been all my life? Christ, that was— _Christ._ "

"I should be the one saying that," Dani laughs gently, groaning with fleeting want when she finally feels Jamie's fingers exit her body. Even without it, her thighs continue to tremble, and she knows she probably can't stand yet, so she does the next best thing. "Sit on the counter."

Jamie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she obliges nevertheless, manoeuvring them around so that she's sitting on the counter. Dani sinks to her knees on the floor gratefully, muscles still trembling, but she's determined and stubborn and eager to return the favour. "Dani, are you sure you can—"

"Overalls. _Off_."

At the next ring of commands, she sees it happen, the way Jamie's eyes melt into thick, liquid hunger. "They're called fuckin' dungarees," Jamie grumbles thickly, but she's obliging anyway, reaching up to unclasp the buttons on the straps of her " _dungarees_ "—Dani _would_ roll her eyes playfully if she isn't _staring_ at the curve of Jamie's sinful mouth—before rolling the garment down her legs and off, collecting her boxers with them.

"Spread your legs."

Jamie smirks and follows, slowly sweeping her knees apart and presenting Dani the patch of dark curls between her thighs—

The patch that's utterly and completely _soaked_. 

"You liked that I was so desperate for you," Dani hums teasingly, hands reaching to trip up Jamie's knees, pace slow and tentative. "God, Jamie, look at you. You're a dripping _mess._ "

Jamie groans in response, the thighs under Dani's palms shuddering, and she squeezes into the flesh, watching in fascination as Jamie's back arches, head tossing to thump lightly against the mirror behind her.

Dani blows out a stream of air onto Jamie's curls and watches as Jamie's hips buck violently into the air.

"Fuck, Dani, don't tease," Jamie grinds out, fingers white-knuckled around the edge of the counter. 

"Why, because you asked me nicely?" Heat pours into her gut at the sound of Jamie's hiss, and she bats her eyes innocently up at the wanton brunette, grinning when she feels Jamie's hands thread into her hair, pushing gently—

_Gently_ , because despite the great want overtaking Jamie's existence, Dani _knows_ Jamie doesn't want to hurt her in earnest.

" _Please_ ," Jamie gasps out, barely a breath of a sound, and it's a sharp contrast that sends Dani's head spinning—Jamie, then, all wicked teeth and sinful tongue, and Jamie, now, all trembling thighs and imploring eyes. "Please, Dani, I—" 

"Yes," Dani answers for her, lifting Jamie's thighs up and setting them on her own shoulders, groaning adoringly when Jamie's heels press against her upper back. "Y _es_ ," she repeats— _yes, yes, yes_ —as she gives in to temptation, nestling her nose into Jamie's curls and sucking her hardened clit into her mouth.

Jamie's hips grind against her with a sharp, breathy sound, desperate and chasing, close already from the intensity of making Dani orgasm— _twice_!—and it floors her, it _floors_ her how much Jamie had wanted for her to come so badly, badly enough that Jamie's now already on the cusp of coming herself.

Dani presses the flat of her tongue against Jamie's clit and rubs, up and down, side to side, pressing and probing and sweeping and sucking, watching as each shift in direction makes Jamie's hips pivot with need, buck with want. With her next cant of hips, Dani dips her tongue lower, lapping against her entrance and collecting the taste of Jamie's desire, humming when Jamie's thighs tighten around her head.

"Fuck, Dani, _right there_ , let me—" A great, gasping breath. "—god, let me fuck you."

Dani obliges, holding out her tongue and keeping it steady and firm, hands bracketing Jamie's hips as Jamie shamelessly grinds against her, and there's no place else in the world Dani would rather be than here.

Here, on her still-trembling knees, head trapped between Jamie's thighs. 

Here, hands reaching up to twist at Jamie's nipples, taking control of the pace and lapping up at Jamie's sex. 

Here, her hair coiled tightly around Jamie's fingers, scalp burning with each, delicious pull. 

Here, catching Jamie's burning hazel eyes as the brunette looks down to marvel at her with longing, as Dani looks back with equal endearment, their gazes equal parts carnal and soft. 

Here, with one of Jamie's hands dipping lower, thumb sweeping through the dried tear-tracks on her cheeks, brushing under one eye and cracking a warm, tender smile—

Here, with Jamie coming on her tongue, Jamie's head thrown back as she whispers out Dani's name like a goddamn prayer. 

Here, with Jamie collapsing, spilling into her lap to kiss her, muttering her thanks into Dani's lips, an exultant " _thank you, fuck, thank you_ " that sends Dani's heart pirouetting in her chest until she's dizzy and light-headed. 

Here, she's Dani Clayton, nothing else but Dani Clayton.

And Dani Clayton thinks it could be very easy to start falling for Jamie Taylor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😳
> 
> yes, i hate public gas station restrooms. yes, we're gonna pretend that, in this universe, they are perfectly clean. ✌️😔 don't hate me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs;  
> 🎸 faithfully - journey

It takes a while for Dani and Jamie to make themselves presentable enough to be seen by their companions. 

For one, with their underwear in similar states of ruined, Jamie has to duck out commando (which is _not_ the first time Dani has seen such, and it never fails to make amused want curl down her spine), sneak towards their van, grab a new pair for them to wear from their bags, and then sneak back into the ladies' bathroom without catching the eye of their friends perusing (and bickering over, from what Jamie explains breathlessly) the snack stall.

After that, it should be as simple as tugging on their " _knickers_ " and going on their merry way, as if they haven't just completely desecrated a likely innocent gas station loo and painted the walls with the sounds of their reality-shattering orgasms, but it's easier said than done; not when Dani keeps gravitating back to Jamie's lips and carding happily through the curls between Jamie's thighs, not enough to initiate another round but certainly enough for Jamie to puff happily into her mouth. 

Dani can't help her smile, can't help it even when they finally exit the aforementioned bathroom to smoke behind the building, still partially in sight of the van.

"Happy looks good on you, Miss Clayton," Jamie comments around the filter of her cigarette, lips tugging up, and Dani thinks she'll never forget this sight: Jamie, half-smiling with a stick in her mouth, sparks from her Cricket lighter reflected in deep pools of hazel.

"You think so?" Dani grins, leans closer to pluck the ignited cigarette and takes a slow puff for herself.

"I know so," Jamie answers with a slow nod, and the low, low burn of her eyes might just devour her. 

"There you are!" 

Dani turns to find the group wandering out of the store, Michael immediately making a beeline for his sister and bumming a stick from her box of menthols. "We were wonderin' where you'd run off to," he adds, tossing Jamie-brown curls from his eyes. "Have you been here all this time?" 

It's Jamie who answers, although she pins Dani with a look as she does so, murmuring a simple but meaningful, "Yes."

Jamie's been here all this time, and it's taken Dani five months to find her.

A chance encounter, really, but all the same feeling like it had meant to happen after all.

"Okay..?" Michael's brows furrow, swooping between their shared looks with a lopsided grin. "Listen, big fan of the gooey heart-eyes you two are makin' at each other, real cute an' all, but will someone please offer me a lighter?" 

"God, you're a prat," Jamie scoffs, pressing the lighter to his chest with feigned annoyance, but Dani doesn't think the moment's broken. Not when Jamie sidles up closer to her and leans in, hitching her chin onto Dani's shoulder and grumbling, "Poppins, stop hoggin' it."

Dani can only laugh, trapping the stick between two fingers and moving it to the side, pretending (and failing) not to be pleased when Jamie doesn't pluck it from her fingers and, instead, takes a puff as Dani holds it to her lips.

"Speakin' of gooey heart-eyes," Jamie starts after exhaling the smoke in her lungs, "Is your beau comin' to the show?" 

"She should be," Michael hums happily, tapping the ash from his stick into the wind. "Doubt she'll miss it. Oh, Dani, you'll have to meet her sometimes. Jamie's still a little suspicious, but she's hard to please, so—well, I think _you'd_ like her."

Jamie snorts, wraps her arms around Dani's hips from behind, grousing, "I'm not _that_ hard to please."

There's something incredibly warming about the prospect of meeting your date's brother's girlfriend. From the tone of Michael's voice, it almost sounds like he's seeking her approval, and that… that's _nice_ , Dani has to admit, that he's treating her like she's almost part of the family. Never mind the fact that she's only signed on the day before.

"Hey!"

The trio turn around to find Rebecca waving at them. 

"We're ready to go!" 

"Jesus, haven't even finished mine yet," Michael grumbles, reaching his hand out, "Give it here, then. I'll toss them in the bin."

"You're a star," Jamie says, and Dani lets the brunette pluck the near-stubbed filter from her fingers, Jamie taking one last puff before handing it over to Michael.

Michael kills both lights on the underside of his boot before walking back with them to the van, dropping them into the bin as he goes. 

When they start shuffling back into the Volkswagen, Rebecca lingers by the doors, flashing her and Jamie a wicked grin and leaning closer, whispering, "You're welcome, by the way."

It's Jamie who responds first, brows furrowing as she tosses out a hummed, "For what?" 

"For keeping everyone distracted long enough for you two to finally decide to come out the loo," Rebecca snorts, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a knowing look that causes Dani's face to flush with embarrassment. "Honestly, you two aren't as subtle as you think."

"Yeah?" Jamie narrows her eyes as she ducks into her seat, Dani shuffling in after her but keeping her own flushed ears perked for Rebecca's answer. "Why'sat?" 

Instead of responding, likely for everyone else's benefit, Rebecca only arches her eyebrow and looks down somewhere along Jamie's hips—where the corner of Dani's very blue, _very_ lacy underwear is poking out from Jamie's pocket. 

If there's anyone who has a face redder than Dani's, it's Jamie herself, huffing out and shoving the splash of blue back into the depths of her pocket.

Thankfully, Rebecca doesn't press outside of her last, mischievous smile, and after a few minutes of blushing profusely in their seats, Dani gravitates back towards Jamie, and Jamie back towards her. They don't even realise it, the way they've already missed each other's touch, but when Jamie leans against the side of the van behind her and Dani collapses between her legs, back pressed to Jamie's chest, they both puff out a breath they didn't even know they had been holding.

"Well, that was embarrassin'," Jamie grumbles into her hair when Rebecca has finally tucked her earbuds back in, arms coming up to wrap around her waist and pull her closer. 

"It was _my_ underwear," Dani can't help but snort teasingly, placing her hands above Jamie's in an effort to placate her, then wonders when Jamie's grasp only tightens, face burying into the back of Dani's neck. 

"Yeah, it was." There's a low note in Jamie's voice, lacking its usual lustre, and Dani wants to turn around and face her, to see what's happening, but Jamie only latches on. "M'sorry 'bout that, Poppins."

"Jamie, hey, it's alright, it was bound to happen eventually," Dani offers, wanting to slip her fingers through Jamie's, but she stills when she sees that they're almost fused shut—stills, even further, when she finally notices the soft tremble rattling her bones. "Hey. Hey, it's alright."

She feels Jamie shift, shake her head, face still pressed into Dani's hair, murmuring, "Didn't mean to embarrass ya, really, I wasn't—" 

" _Jamie_ ," she says, insistent yet soft, rubbing her fingers through Jamie's knuckles. "I'm okay. We're okay."

"And if we're not okay?" 

It's like before, Dani thinks, the way Jamie's tensing so hard she's trembling. A memory of a past unforgotten, a microsecond of history haunting her; there's more to this reaction than just the teasing. Dani thinks it isn't even the teasing entirely.

Jamie's afraid of _her_ reaction to it.

"If we're not okay, I'll tell you," Dani starts tentatively, quietly, voice soft and almost lost under the sound of the van's engine, but she knows Jamie is close enough to hear her, could probably also feel the words vibrating through her chest. "But we're okay, Jamie. We're okay."

"You promise?" 

One of Jamie's hands finally loosen, falling into her waiting grasp, and Dani lifts it up and carefully adorns her wrist with a kiss.

"I promise."

Eventually, after a deep sigh is puffed against her hair, she feels Jamie loosen bit by bit, uncoiling from the tightness, but Dani makes a point to keep Jamie's hands in hers, keep Jamie's arms looped around her waist. Slowly, she leans her head back, pillowing it against Jamie's shoulder as Jamie's chin props up against hers in return.

"Sorry," Jamie mumbles after a while, and Dani can't see her face but can tell the guilty pull of her lips from her voice. She shifts her head to the side, until her temple is knocking gently against Jamie's cheek. "Sorry, I'm just… it was something stupid that happened before, and I..."

Jamie's words trail off, punctuated only by another sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

"Not today," Jamie admits softly, and Dani holds her hands closer, presses it into her stomach. "Don't wanna sully it." 

"I understand," Dani says, and she does—she knows that some things take time to tell, has her own stories she's yet to uncover. "But I need you to know that you won't be sullying anything, Jamie."

"Yeah, but it's just… I like ya, Poppins. We know this. You like me too, I reckon."

Jamie pauses, waits for her, and Dani doesn't hesitate to nod. 

"I do."

She knows Jamie knows this, too, but she warms when Jamie presses a smile into her shoulder anyway. "I like ya. I just… don't wanna mess this up. I know we got it all backwards, but—" 

"Fuck the chronological order."

"... what?" 

"Fuck the chronological order," Dani repeats with a smile. "' _Who's to say anything has to happen a certain way?_ ' I believe you know who said that."

She feels Jamie snort against her cheek. "I did."

"You did," Dani agrees, twisting around so she can flutter a kiss across Jamie's jaw.

"I guess I jus' wanted to say—I wanna keep gettin' to know ya, Poppins," Jamie continues, although Dani can see that her lips are still unfurled into a smile, a ribbon of warmth on her face. "And keep sleepin' with ya, if you fancy."

It's Dani's turn to snort at that, chuckling when she feels Jamie sink around her, comfortable and sure. "I'd like that," she hums, then adds with a smirk as she looks at the window across from them, " _both_ of them, just so we're clear."

"Perfectly."

It's the kind of confession reserved for something like this, something unbound by the conventional, and Dani thinks it suits them both just fine. 

— 🎸 —

By the time they arrive at the motel they'll be staying in for the next three nights, sunset has come and gone, leaving the group with precious little daylight left. Still, it doesn't seem to put a hamper on anybody's mood; if anything, they seem to have more energy than they started with, ducking into each other's spaces with a vibrant chatter.

"Bonus points, we're the only renters for tonight, and the pool is Sharma-Approved," Owen explains as he stands at the doorway of Dani's and Jamie's shared room. "So get yourselves sorted and head over to the back. Becca's already brought out one of the guitars, and Michael had the foresight to bring his Cajón."

"Mikey? _Foresight_?" Jamie looks up from where she's been trying to shove their single beds together, feigning a confused squint that Dani finds entirely too adorable. "Those two things should never be in the same sentence." 

"Oh, I was just as surprised, trust me," Owen offers with an amused lilt in his voice. "Jamie, are you sure you don't want me to help with that?" 

"M'fine, Owen," Jamie dismisses with a wave of her hand. She braces both palms against the side of the frame, rolls her shoulders, pushes—and, yes, Dani is _definitely_ looking at the way her biceps are flexing under the effort.

"You're fine," Dani echoes absently, feeling her stomach flutter at the sight. "She's fine, Owen."

"Well, I won't _push_ you."

Silence, followed by—

"Fuck's sake, Sharma!" Jamie powers through the last of the space between their beds until they're flush together, and then she's rolling up her sleeves and barrelling towards the door, grousing, "I've just about had enough of you and your stupid bloody puns!" 

Dani watches amusedly from her seat by the desk as Owen ducks out of Jamie's path before bolting off into his own room with Hannah, laughing and yelling, "You'll never catch me alive, Taylor!" 

Dani finally makes a move for the doorway, grinning across the hall. "We'll be down in a bit."

"Define ' _a bit_ '," comes Rebecca's playful jibe, exiting her room with an armful of the snacks they've (they, being everyone that _isn't_ Dani and Jamie, who had been… very much preoccupied) purchased from the gas station. "Because I think we have _very_ different definitions of that."

Jamie only shakes her head as Dani flushes, muttering, "One of these days, Jessel. I'll get you back one of these days."

In the end, they do take only a bit to get changed, both eager to return to the festivities once they hear Rebecca strumming along on her guitar. They haven't brought any swimwear ( _"Michael_ ," Jamie grumbles under her breath petulantly, " _didn't even bloody mention a pool, could've seen you in swimwear by now_!"), but they do have a copious amount of shirts and shorts courtesy of Jamie, and they slip into those instead. 

When they re-emerge outside, night has fully consumed the sky, but the area is littered with lamps and fairy lights, and the pool itself is lit from within the water, likely to prevent any drowning mishaps. Two lawn chairs have been swept aside to make way for a large blanket that Rebecca and Michael are currently seated in, Rebecca with her legs folded beneath her and Michael sitting atop the Cajón; elsewhere, Dani spots Hannah and Owen with their feet dipped in the pool, chattering casually.

"I'm surprised you two finally came out," Rebecca jokes teasingly, strumming a few pathless notes as they settle down on the blanket.

"Came out when I was seven, actually, so try again," Jamie scoffs in equal playfulness, ripping open a bag of chips (and Dani nearly sighs audibly at the sight) before lying down, head pillowed on Dani's thigh.

"Came out six months ago," Dani offers in addition, one hand immediately moving to press against Jamie's stomach and scratch casually at the strip of skin between her shirt and her shorts. "Sorry, Becca."

"God, you're both as bad as Owen," Rebecca points out with a snort, but her eyes glimmer with warmth nevertheless. 

They greet the night with an easy leisure, huddled around each other eating salty chips and drinking watered-down beer. In truth, it's rather remarkable how Dani's life seems to have taken a complete 180°; just last week, she had been rather miserable, marching through one failed job application after another with her head slowly dipping the longer it pressed on, but now she's able to throw her head back and laugh as Michael recounts the tale of Jamie stumbling into the wrong function hall one day and, after realising that their wedding singer had stood them up, took the mantle over the promise of an open bar.

"You're just jealous," Jamie snorts, head still in Dani's lap, "because I got free booze and you didn't."

There's also a tale of Owen having been borrowed during another wedding event where the booked caterers proved less than ideal, innocent servers immediately latching onto him when he had swept in and did his hardest to fix the _Un-Sharma_ levels of desecration.

"I had to perform in an apron," Owen insists, having wandered back over to the blanket with Hannah by his side. "Suffice to say, I was extremely _salty_."

"God, end me," Jamie groans against the joke, but it only takes Dani grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles for her to correct herself with a mumbled, "or don't, actually. I take it back. Don't end me yet."

Eventually, as the group settles less into story-telling and more into music-making, Jamie leads her by the fingertips to the pool, and Dani thinks it might as well be a scene coming from a movie, the way the singing picks up from Whitney Houston's "All at Once" to Journey's "Faithfully", Owen and Hannah leading the verses and Jamie singing along as they walk each other backwards towards the deep end.

" _Highway run_  
 _Into the midnight sun._  
 _Wheels go round and round,_  
 _You're on my mind_

 _Restless hearts_  
 _Sleep alone tonight;_  
 _Sending all my love_  
 _Along the wire._ " 

Dani feels incredibly lucky to be here, wading through the water as Jamie swims a little further, bursts back through the surface with her hair plastered around her face, cheeks glistening in the low light. It takes Dani's breath away. _Everything_ about Jamie takes Dani's breath away.

" _They say that the road ain't no place to start a family,_  
 _Right down the line it's been you and me,_  
 _And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be._  
 _Oh, girl, you stand by me._  
 _I'm forever yours,_  
 _Faithfully._ "

Jamie pads towards her, matching Hannah and Owen's sweet harmony as Rebecca strums the tune on her acoustic guitar and Michael provides a stripped-down beat. Dani doesn't think she's quite capable of tearing her eyes away, not when Jamie's looking at her openly, lips turned up at the edges, hands slipping around her waist under the water, and so Dani does what she can to match the serenity of the moment—Dani sings with her. 

" _Circus life_  
 _Under the big top world;_  
 _We all need the clowns_  
 _To make us smile._

 _Through space and time,_  
 _Always another show,_  
 _Wondering where I am,_  
 _I'm lost without you_."

With the ease the water provides them, Dani quickly finds that they're swaying, her hands coming up to link behind Jamie's neck and smiling when Jamie beams back at her, a toothy kind of grin that she can't help but reach for, kiss with all the emotion she can muster.

" _And being apart ain't easy on this love affair,_  
 _Two strangers learn to fall in love again._  
 _I get the joy of rediscovering you._  
 _Oh, girl, you stand by me,_  
 _I'm forever yours,_  
 _Faithfully_."

And as the group croons softly to the song, Dani singing right along with them, she thinks she's finally sure about her place in the world.

Their foreheads press together, the flutter of Jamie's eyelashes tickling against her own, and the night is chilly and the water is cold and Jamie is warm in her arms. 

" _Faithfully,_  
 _I'm still yours._

 _I'm forever yours,_  
 _Ever yours,_  
 _Faithfully._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyway, who's emotional listening to faithfully and thinking about hannah, owen, dani, and jamie singing to each other? because i am 🥺 i am very emotional rn. then again, i'm always emotional over these lovely idiots.
> 
> next chapter is gonna be... well, it could be smut, or we can proceed with the story (although the story is gonna be there regardless GSJDHSS), so do y'all want smut or story? 👀
> 
> lemme know bc i'm gonna be real frank about being an amateur—is it too much smut or just a fine amount? IDK! i'm still shook people are actually reading this GSJDHAJSHS. 
> 
> grateful, though. i am eternally grateful. this fic is my safe space, a feel-good fic for whenever i'm feeling glum, or whenever i remember canon and want to feel a little bit better. i hope it's the same for all of you, because i want nothing more than to bring joy to everyone when they're feeling as down and out as i am.
> 
> i love you all. deadass i'm so thankful for all the readers. please be safe out there, remember to wear your masks, wash your hands, love each other ❤️
> 
> (p.s. yes. turns out, i really do feel very emotional tonight! do i know why? no HSJDHSJ)


	9. Chapter 9

Contentment and Dani have never really gotten along before.

She thinks it might be because contentment has always kept her from breaking out of her shell. Such had been the case with Karen. Such had been the case with Judy. Such had been the case with Edmund. Such had been the case with Iowa.

She hadn't been _happy_ , but at least she'd been _content_ enough to be subservient to their whims—to Karen, to Judy, to Edmund, to Iowa—so when she finally dared to truly find her happiness, she left contentment behind, afraid that it would tie her back down to that special brand of misery.

It's different tonight, though.

For the first time in twenty-five years, Dani doesn't feel like contentment is holding her down. It's not stifling, not constricting, not demanding—instead, it settles on her with a gentle warmth, soothing the restlessness in her bones, and she thinks, maybe, she can get used to this type of contentment.

Can get used to Jamie settled next to her, Jamie's legs casually strewn beneath hers as they go about their separate forms of entertainment huddled next to each other. Jamie's reading a book Dani doesn't know the title of, and Dani's watching a movie on the old television set in their room—or, more accurately, watching Jamie from the corner of her eyes. 

Jamie knows she's watching, Dani can tell by the smugness gracing the curve of her lips as she flips to the next page, can tell by the way she raises a hand to hook into the tie keeping her curls at the back of her head, can tell by the way she yanks it down and lets her hair bounce around her face.

Dani can also tell that Jamie isn't exactly _reading_ , because she's been flipping through the pages far too fast for her to possibly absorb anything.

"What are you reading?" Dani makes an effort to keep her voice light and curious. 

Jamie only hums, flicking to another page, murmuring, "Literature."

"What _kind_ of literature?"

"Smutty literature."

Dani scoffs, because the art on the cover clearly indicates that it's a book about gardening, and she knows Jamie knows she isn't fooling anyone, but Jamie plays the long con anyway, even humming thoughtfully as her eyes squint over a paragraph, dart to Dani, then sweep back down to the page.

"Is it, uh, interesting?" 

"Very interestin'." Jamie arches a conspiratorial eyebrow at her. "Did you know that women don't always orgasm when they have sex with blokes? 'Specially if the bloke's inattentive?" 

"I do know," Dani stage-whispers her answer, "Kinda can attest to that."

Jamie arches an eyebrow but offers nary a look at her; she already knows this part of the story, Dani has already told her as they basked in the afterglow of their first time having sex with the sun up, but Jamie pretends to be shocked anyway, gasping, "Oh, poor dear."

Silence, and then…

"Jamie?" She bats her eyelashes innocently when Jamie darts another look at her. 

Eyes back on the page. "Yes, Dani?" 

Dani's smile turns wicked. 

"Do you wanna touch me?" 

It's like a switch has been flipped. Two days ago, and it had been Jamie saying that line that turned Dani near-ravenous. Now, however, the opposite seems to be just as true. Dani watches as Jamie's eyes darken, the smouldering pools of black spilling out from their chasmic depths to consume the rest of her irises until only a thin, burning ring of hazel remains.

Still, with almost deadly calm, Jamie twists around and slowly places her book on the bedside table, tapping her fingers across the cover before murmuring, "I think I wanna try somethin' tonight."

"Oh?" Dani keeps her expression just as neutral, wanting to see how this plays out, wanting to see who gives first. "What is it?" 

"I'll show ya," Jamie whispers mysteriously, pressing a chaste kiss to Dani's jaw before getting up to her feet and walking over to her luggage. She grabs something from it, but she keeps her back turned to Dani and marches into the bathroom. 

Dani waits patiently on the bed, hand seeking out the part of the bed Jamie had just been sitting in and enjoying the warmth left behind.

When Jamie does return, Dani doesn't notice anything different at first. She's still in her pyjamas, a deep red shirt that's far too large for her smaller frame, and the same black boxers that—

" _Oh._ "

Dani's eyes sweep up from the press of something within Jamie's shorts to find the brunette with her head cocked to one side, staring at Dani with glittering eyes.

Even though her cunt still flutters with a distant ache from earlier's bathroom activities, she _immediately_ feels heat smear the inside of her underwear.

"S'that a good _oh_ or a bad _oh_?" 

Dani doesn't think she can formulate the right words to answer her, too stuck on the thought of _Jamie_ and _strap-on_ and _inside of her_ , so Dani does the next best thing. She pads over to where Jamie's standing, watching her with amused curiosity… 

and then she sinks down to her knees on the rug under her feet.

Dani watches as Jamie's eyes widen, and she feels a thick pulse of glee trickle down her gut.

She's never done this before, in truth. With Eddie, it had always been the same—her on her side, him behind her, in the morning or at night, the same boring motions that went on longer than she ever cared for.

 _This_ , though, being on her knees? This is new. 

She thinks she can get used to this.

"Dani—"

She hears Jamie suck in a sharp breath as she leans forward, places a delicate kiss against the length straining against the cotton of her boxers. It's obvious that Jamie can't necessarily feel it, but the sight alone must do _wonders_ , because when Dani pulls a fraction of space away, Jamie's hips buck after her.

She presses another fleeting kiss to it and looks up, marvels when she finds Jamie's eyes almost completely black.

"This isn't fair," Jamie husks softly, and Dani can only let out a mischievous chuckle as she raises her hands up, tucks her fingertips into the garter of Jamie's underwear, and pulls it slowly down her legs.

The strap-on is a nice, powder-green color, made of silicone, ridged in some places and smooth in others, and the sight of Jamie _wearing_ it makes heat pool low in her belly, and then lower still.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asks this as she leans forward, wrapping gentle fingers around the length and giving it a slow, tentative pump. As she does so, the harness jostles, and she sees another flash of silicone on the inside of it, equally ridged and pressed against Jamie's clit, and the revelation of that _delights_ her. 

"No," Jamie answers, her voice low.

Permission granted, Dani slowly raises the toy, presses the tip against her mouth, and taps it twice against her lower lip, smiling when Jamie's hips give another, insistent jerk. 

Her smirk can only grow wider.

The way Jamie's looking at her is _intoxicating_. She wants more. She _badly_ wants more.

So she lifts her head up to face Jamie fully, offering a small, minx of a smile.

"Tell me what you want me to do, Jamie."

It has the intended effect. Red crawls up from Jamie's chest, colouring her from cheeks to ear-tips, and she lets out a sharp, exhilarated gasp that makes Dani shiver with the promise of it.

"Put me in your mouth."

Dani can only oblige happily, setting the tip of the toy against her lips. She makes a point to look up at Jamie as she does so, watching the way her expression shifts with an almost feral hunger as Dani wraps her lips around the head, sucking softly.

"Deeper." 

Dani leans forward, letting more of the length sink into her mouth, making a point to move it back so that it rubs against Jamie in kind. Jamie's hips struggle not to buck, shaking from the effort, not wanting to bottom-out into Dani's throat when she isn't prepared, and she's _touched_.

Touched, but also hungry for Jamie's reaction.

She's past half-way when the head of the toy hits the back of her throat, and that's when Jamie's fingers thread into her hair, tugging lightly, and Dani looks up with the length still in her mouth, seeing the storm brewing in Jamie's eyes. 

"Are you sure, Poppins?" 

With her mouth occupied, she nods.

"You'll tell me if you want me to stop? If you can't, tap me three times with your hand or your foot and I'll know, okay?" One of Jamie's hands move lower, cupping her jaw gently, thumb tracing the curve of her earlobe and making her shiver. "Okay?"

Dani nods again.

"Good." Jamie breathes out, hand returning to her hair, and when Jamie opens her eyes again, the storm has cleared, giving way to sheer, _electrifying_ want. "All in, Dani."

The press against her throat as she mouths her way to the base of the toy stings, but not enough to dissuade her. She tucks her thumbs into her fists to steel the reflex to gag and finishes the rest of the way, taking the length fully into her and holding for as long as her breath can muster, forcing herself to turn watery eyes back up at Jamie—

And she's so _glad_ she does, because the wild expression painted on Jamie's face sends another wave of heat pouring between her legs. 

"God, Dani," Jamie rasps, moving Dani's head to allow her a mouthful of breath before slowly pushing back in, and the way Jamie's hips move _mesmerises_ her. "Such a good girl, takin' all of me in your mouth like that."

If Dani had been wet before, she's _dripping_ now, eyes fluttering shut at the sound of Jamie's praise, at the feel of Jamie pulling her hips away before pushing back in, Dani's throat turning slack to allow it access.

When Jamie looks down at her, watching as Dani stares fearlessly back while she continues taking the length down her throat, she makes the most _delicious_ whine known to mankind, and Dani thinks she could come just from the sound of it. 

Jamie repeats the motions a few times, each pump making Dani's toes curl with anticipatory delight, until Jamie pulls out completely and sets the toy on Dani's face, spit coating the skin on her cheek.

"Be a good girl and sit down on the bed for me."

Dani complies without question, perching on the edge of the mattress and spreading her legs so that Jamie can stand between them.

"You'll only move if I tell you to, okay?"

Jamie leans down and cups under her chin, moving her head up so that they're face to face.

"Yes, Jamie."

"The only other movement you're allowed to make is if you need to tap me thrice, you understand?" 

Want flutters between her legs. "Yes, Jamie."

Jamie's lips twitch up at the corners. "Beautiful."

Jamie wraps her fingers around the hem of her shirt and pulls up, yanks the pyjamas over her shoulders, and Dani's eyes immediately sweep to her pebbled nipples. Jamie seems to notice, because then she's reaching up, tugging at them playfully, smirking, "Like what you see?" 

"Yes," she breathes out, entranced as Jamie twists them, throat thick when Jamie gives them another tug and groans.

"Your turn," Jamie sighs out before bending down, fingers tucking into her own sleep shorts. "Hips up," she commands, and Dani raises her hips to help Jamie move the garment down and off of her legs, underwear and all. Next, she moves on to her shirt, tugging it up and over her head and tossing it to the floor with the rest of their clothes.

For a second, Jamie only stares, Dani's skin warming under her observation. "Have I ever told you," Jamie starts, slipping a thumb past her lips to press down on her tongue, and the salty tang of her skin coaxes a soft, breathless sound from the back of her throat, "that I really fuckin' love your mouth?" 

Jamie's thumb presses harder, encouraging her to open her jaw. When she does, Jamie replaces the thumb with the toy again, cool compared to the warmth of Jamie's digit. "Suck it."

There is something so, impossibly carnal about Jamie ordering her around like this, something that sends warmth pulsing, filling every inch of Dani as she follows obediently, sucking the length into her mouth and groaning around it.

" _Fuck_ ," Jamie gasps, hips finally bucking forward, and when the head slams and slips into the back of her throat, Dani is prepared, taking the length and daring to keep looking Jamie in the eyes. " _Fuck_ , Dani, you're too good to me."

Dani's never really found the concept of face-fucking to be hot, but with Jamie? With Jamie's hips slowly rocking the toy into her throat, Jamie's brows furrowed in concentration, Jamie's teeth sunk into her lower lip as she breathes through her nose to keep control?

It has to be one of the _hottest_ things Dani has ever seen in her _life_.

When Jamie's pace picks up, Dani finds that, instead of tensing, she's relaxing further into the sensation, boneless from the way Jamie's lips fall open, the way she tosses her head back as she moves Dani's head along the the strap-on, as each one bumps those silicone ridges against Jamie's own clit.

She loves the sight of Jamie like this, lost and uninhibited but entirely precise, fucking her mouth with a calm, steady pace until the toy is being pulled away from her lips completely. 

"Lie down," Jamie murmurs, and Dani shivers in anticipation, releasing the length until her back is pressed against the mattress. Slowly, Jamie clambers onto the bed, crawling over her until they're face to face, wrapping Dani's legs around her hips.

When Jamie lowers her hips and the tip of the length presses against her clit, Dani's entire body _arches_ , lips parting to accommodate a wanton gasp.

"God, Dani," Jamie chuckles into the small pocket of space remaining between them, reaching down to cup between her legs, and Dani grinds down against her palm, seeking friction, smearing wetness across Jamie's fingers as she does so. " _Jesus_ , did suckin' me off like that turn you on that bad?" 

"You looked so pretty," Dani explains with a puff, shivering when Jamie's fingers twist and tug lightly at the curls on the apex of her thighs. "Would've loved to keep having you down my throat until you came."

"Jesus _fucking_ Christ, Dani," Jamie growls, and then finally, _finally_ , Jamie is kissing her, a hot, electric slide against her own before parting, tongue lashing into her mouth and roaming desperately around it, and Jamie has _barely_ touched her but she's already writhing under Jamie's lips, on Jamie's taste. 

Jamie moves lower, kisses scattering across the length of her neck, nibbling across her clavicle, peppering each breast, lavishing each nipple with tight circles, sucking then releasing with a loud _pop_ that sends Dani shivering up into her.

And then Jamie jerks her hips up, the length of the spit-covered toy rubbing fully against her straining clit, and Dani cries out, hands reaching out to attempt to tangle into Jamie's curls, only to remember that she _can't_. Instead, her fingers clench handfuls of the duvet beneath them, pulling furiously at the material as Jamie repeats the motion, sending pleasure and want churning between her legs. 

"Think I wanna make you come like this first," Jamie growls against her skin, teeth sinking furiously into the crook of her neck and holding there, and then Jamie's pumping against her folds, each hot slide pressing deliciously down on her clit, and all Dani could do is yank at the covers and tighten her legs around Jamie's hips, encouraging her.

" _Fuck_ , Jamie, please—god, _harder_ ," she hears herself beg, and then she's groaning when Jamie does just that, forcing each thrust to press roughly against her still-aching clit and sending sparks shooting all the way down to her fingers and toes, the current _alive_ with desperation.

"Fuck, you want _harder_ ," Jamie groans against her, voice almost reverent, and then her teeth are biting back down on the same spot, the mix of the sharp sting on her neck and the deep rubs against her clit sending Dani _reeling_ with desire.

With one of Jamie's thrusts, the toy finally passes by her entrance before hitting her clit at the perfect angle, and then Dani is coming, hips jerking up and riding the friction, back arching when Jamie sucks harder at her skin that she's sure it'll leave a mark. 

Jamie lets her ride out her orgasm grinding against the toy above her, but even then, _god_ , Dani wants _more_ , pressing the heels of her feet against Jamie's lower back and shivering when she feels the toy press against her folds.

She's desperate, hungry, wants to _feel_ —

" _Jamie_ ," Dani manages to gasp, looking into Jamie's eyes and husking, "I want to feel you inside of me."

Jamie's nostrils _flare_. 

"On your elbows then," Jamie orders with a snap that sends her pulse racing, propping herself up on her elbows as Jamie sits up—and wraps her curls back into a loose tie, the sight of which makes Dani's hips rise into the air. " _Fuck_ , pretty girl, you really want me to fill you up, don't you?" 

Dani can only whine, watching, _enthralled_ , as Jamie spits into her own hand before rubbing the slickness onto her length, then rubbing it against Dani's already-weeping cunt, pulse skittering as a thumb presses against her clit. 

"I want you to look," Jamie murmurs. 

After receiving a determined nod, Jamie leans closer, length in her glistening palm, and when the tip presses against the tight ring of muscle between Dani's legs, she's half-tempted to throw her head back, but Jamie wants her to watch, and Dani wants to be a good girl for her.

Brows lowered in concentration, Jamie slowly eases the length into her entrance, barely half an inch in when her eyes flick up, murmuring, "Still okay?" 

"Yes," Dani answers breathily, quivering. 

Another push, a little deeper inside, and Dani's starting to feel the slight burn from the unfamiliar girth, but even then, her body is encompassed by _want_ , and so when Jamie asks her again, she nods, " _Yes._ " 

Jamie is taking her time, slipping a little further, now half-way inside Dani's folds, and the sight of the powder-green length disappearing into her makes Dani's eyes flutter, walls shifting to accommodate Jamie's new size.

"Dani?"

"Yes," she answers immediately, and then Jamie's sliding in again, and for each, unfamiliar sting between her legs, her want only multiplies like a fire burning under her skin, crawling into every nook and cranny of her being until she feels like her entire body is singing with desire. " _Jamie_ , god, please just—inside—let me feel you, _please—_ "

Jamie bottoms-out, and Dani feels her entire body arch around it, walls struggling but wanting, _squeezing_ , equal parts pain and pleasure as Jamie's torso finally falls forward.

Jamie stays still while she adjusts, collecting her hands from their death-grip in the sheets and holding them, fingers slipping into the spaces between her own to pull their interlocked hands higher on the bed, and it feels so _right_. It feels _right_ , for her body to be stretched out like this, arms over her head and held in place by Jamie's grasp, legs wrapped around Jamie's torso, filled to the brim with Jamie's length, wanton cries stifled by Jamie's mouth.

It's Dani who moves first, hips bucking softly against the length and shivering when it pulls away slightly before filling her again, the sensation sending goosebumps scattering across her flesh.

"God, _Dani_ , I want you," Jamie whispers against her lips. Her eyes are dark, burning as they pour into her, and Dani decides that, no, she will _not_ be closing her eyes. No, she _wants_ to see all of Jamie as Jamie fucks her like this. "You're so beautiful, so ready, so wantin' all for me." 

Dani groans, Jamie's words taking root somewhere deep in her chest and pulsing, and it sends her hips bucking a second time, Jamie grunting when she meets it with a thrust of her own and— _Oh_.

Dani's entire existence _unravells_ with a choked sigh.

Jamie lets her set the pace at first, all slow thrusts that grow deeper the more Dani gives in to the sensation.

First, it's only a quarter out, then in. The sensation sends something warm and fluttering in her navel, and she reaches out for it with every buck of her hips, further and further. 

When Dani presses her heels fervently against Jamie's back, half out, then in. The sensation is closer, almost within her grasp, brought closer by the throaty growl that Jamie makes against her mouth, brows still furrowed in an effort to keep her pace as slow as Dani wants it, and through the haze of passion in her mind, Dani thinks that she doesn't want to be anywhere else, be with anyone else, other than with _Jamie_.

When Dani reaches out to sink her teeth into Jamie's lower lip, tugging and sucking it into her own, almost completely out, then in—then Dani starts seeing _stars_ , eyes threatening to flutter shut as desire overtakes her, and then she's bucking desperately against Jamie's length, trying to fuck herself as fast as she can manage from her position, because now that she's had the fleeting taste of it, she wants _more_. 

"Oh god, _Dani,_ " Jamie husks against her lips, and it's only then that Dani remembers—remembers the way the harness is designed, remembers what Jamie is grinding against with each thrust she makes, remembers—Jamie is on the _cusp_ of orgasm already, waiting for Dani to reach her.

"Jamie, you can—" 

Before she can even finish her sentence, Jamie's shaking her head, pressing a chaste kiss to Dani's lips before answering, "Not without you, Dani. Not without you."

And Dani's skin is on fire, and Dani's heart is on fire, and everything else in the world fades away, replaced by the way Jamie presses their foreheads together, slick with sweat, eyes consuming hers. 

"Fuck me," Dani begs, voice hoarse and throat thick, pleading, imploring as she gazes back up at Jamie, "Fast, hard, god—god, _please_ fuck me, Jamie." 

"Fuck, _Dani_ ," Jamie groans, and then Jamie's fucking her in earnest, thrusting with precision into her cunt, ridges pressing against her tightness, bumping along her top wall and teasing _that_ spot—

" _Jamie_ ," Dani cries out, struggling to keep her eyes open when her entire body is buzzing with pleasure, hips canting to meet Jamie's relentless pace, pulling apart in perfect sync before slamming back together in a way that makes Dani's world spin with desire. Her ankles hook around the brunette's lower back, wanting nothing more to be closer, to feel each delicious thrust that sends pleasure crackling along every inch of her body. 

"That's it, Dani," Jamie encourages, lips skating down across the side of Dani's face and neck as her body rises to meet her, accommodate her, receive her, possessed by their own volition even as her muscles burn with the exertion. It's thrilling, exhilarating, dizzying; Jamie's body is slick as it pounds into her, and she's greedily accepting it all.

"Yes, _right there_ ," she manages to groan out, head tipping backwards to press against the mattress when Jamie's kisses shift from her cheek to her jaw, the pressure in her stomach building and building with each deep thrust. Her eyes flutter shut and she circles her hips, a whine slipping past her teeth when Jamie almost slips out—almost, but then drives the length to the hilt back into her, causing her skin to erupt with the beginning of her climax. "That feels so fucking good, Jamie, fuck—"

Jamie's lips crash back onto hers, muffling the start of a long moan as the brunette doubles her efforts, and Dani doesn't think she's even aware of anything anymore, anything that isn't Jamie, isn't the hands holding her own in place, isn't the mouth eagerly drinking each desperate sound, isn't the length fucking her from tip to base in increasing force that has her walls clenching desperately around it, tight enough that it multiples the sensation tenfold. 

The sounds of their hips meeting, of the bed shaking, of Jamie panting above her are the only things she can hear, the only things she wants to hear, Jamie the only person she wants to see, taste, touch, feel—

Dani's orgasm _slams_ into her, back arching clear off of the bed and pressing into Jamie's above her, Jamie's arm slipping between the space it creates to hold her closer as she rides the violent tide with a keening cry that ricochets off of the four walls surrounding them. Her walls constrict around Jamie's length, trying to hold it in place, but Jamie doesn't stop, doesn't come, just keeps pulling almost all the way out before thrusting all the way in, following a pace too fast for Dani to match—

" _Again_ ," Jamie growls, teeth catching her lip and nibbling hard, causing Dani's legs to tighten around her. Her eyes are hazy and black, black like the sky and black like the sea and black like the oblivion beyond the universe and Dani is _lost_ in them. "I'm gonna make you come again, Dani."

" _Christ_ , Jamie," is all she can whine out, hips stuttering as the aftershocks of her orgasm give way to an even greater wave of desire; she's had a taste of heaven, and now she's addicted, and now she's _intoxicated,_ and now she wants Jamie to come with her. " _Fuck,_ Jamie, all for you—all, _fuck_ , fu—"

Her words are cut off by a moan, loud and long as Jamie's slips her arm away from her back, rearranges her hands: the left, elbow curled on the mattress just above her head to take the brunt of her weight, the right, slipping between their slick bodies to sink past her curls and rub furiously at her clit, sending Dani's body shuddering and twitching as it tries to both push harder against the touch and pull away from it.

"Fuck, such a good girl, lettin' me take you like this," Jamie moans, strained and desperate, and it almost feels like Jamie's trying to fuck her _through_ the mattress, pace fast and hard and _unforgiving_ , keeping Dani pinned to the cusp of ecstasy with each furious circle of a finger against her clit, each harsh pump into her folds, each shuddering breath as Jamie tries to keep her own orgasm at bay. Through it all, Jamie's eyes remain on her, and Dani feels like she's drowning, and it's all she ever wants to do. " _God_ , the way you look, wanna fuck you like this everyday." 

Dani's shivers, toes curling, hands flying up to Jamie's back, and then she's raking blunt fingernails down across Jamie's skin, revelling in the pleased hiss that puffs against her mouth.

"Come with me, please," Dani manages to whisper through desperate moans, ankles locking behind Jamie's hips and driving her deeper, faster, further until Dani's walls are _clenching_ , "God, Jamie, _I'm_ —" 

"Fuck, _Dani_ ," Jamie gasps, and when their lips finally meet again, they unravel together, muffling each other's cries into the kiss as their hips slam together with desperation, without rhythm, taking their orgasm as high as it can take them, to the hard sound of the bedframe banging angrily against the wall, to the wet slaps of them bucking furiously into each other, to the slide of sweat-laden skin against sweat-laden skin, to a climax that lasts so long that Dani thinks she might be delirious with pleasure, shaking and shuddering around each snapping pump that pushes her harder and harder against the bed.

"One more," she begs almost desperately, hands coming around to pull at Jamie's body until the brunette is pressed flush against her, calves burning with the tension of keeping them locked but cunt pulsing with the desire for just one more climax. " _Please_ , Jamie, make me come again." 

"Dani," she hears Jamie grind out, dripping with desire as the pace picks up, and Dani can't quite meet it anymore, simply holds her hips steady to accept each brutal thrust into her walls, body twitching around the cacophony of sensations as Jamie's teeth worry at the skin at the crook of her neck. "Fuck, c'mere, let me kiss you."

When they kiss, there's nothing contained about it; it's a flurry of hungry lips, writhing around each other as Jamie fucks her closer and closer towards a final crescendo, her body white-hot with need that it sends something warm and wet welling at the corner of her eyes.

She gives herself, fully, to Jamie, hands rising to bury into the brunette's curls, mouth open to accept the searing tongue that lashes past it, dancing against her own as her walls begin another, telltale clench. Still, she doesn't want it to end, and so she holds back a little, focusing on the kiss despite the unsparing pace Jamie is giving her, forcing herself not to give in to the desire to climax—and then, with a burst of strength she doesn't entirely know the source of, she's spinning them around, grunting softly as she pushes Jamie back down on the bed.

"Jesus, Dani," she hears Jamie whisper, and Dani holds onto that reverence to drive her, desperately grinding down and riding Jamie's length, head thrown back because this, _this_ feels right. Having Jamie in her life feels right. Being with Jamie feels right. Jamie feels right. 

Jamie's hands fall to bracket her waist, encouraging each frenzied shift of her hips, and her own fall forward to hold herself up, braced against the mattress on either side of Jamie's head. When she opens her eyes, she sees the brunette's gaze already hazy—close again, just like her, and Dani uses it to power through the ache sinking into her bones, following a rapid rhythm that has her lifting off of the length until she's at the very tip, and then sinking back down onto it with a whine. 

"Fuck, Dani," Jamie groans wildly, and Dani watches through the cloud of desire as the brunette tosses her head back, offers the column of her throat that Dani can't help but lavish with craving kisses and bites, pistoning her hips up and down Jamie's length. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ , Dani, I'm gonna come."

All Dani can answer with is another starved kiss, her own loud cry muted against Jamie's tapered moan as they race towards the edge, crashing past the lip of it and straight into a shattering oblivion, hips grinding together to catch each other through their climax and cling on for as long as they can, bodies colliding until there's only each other and intoxicating euphoria, prolonging the sensation for as long as their bodies can let them. 

Dani doesn't register anything else around her except for the feel of Jamie's tongue tangled against her own, Jamie's fluttering pumps into her sex, Jamie's weight as she rolls them around again and presses her back into the mattress; there are lights popping in the corners of her vision as her eyes finally fall shut, as her body arches one, last time to herald the addictive wave of desire that washes through her, and then she finally collapses back onto the bed, her legs _trembling_. 

"Holy shit," Jamie gasps against her neck, lips searing the words on her skin, "holy fuckin' shit." 

"God, Jamie," Dani manages after a great, heaving inhale, arms coming around to wrap around her waist. Jamie's still buried to the hilt inside her, every slightest move reminding her of it, but she isn't ready to let go, not just yet. Just a little longer, pressed against Jamie like this. _Just a little more_.

" _Christ,_ Dani, that was—Jesus, you were so _good_ ," she hears Jamie murmur against her, and then Jamie's leaning up, scattering kiss after kiss across her face. It's only then that Dani realizes that a pang has settled in her chest, a curious ember of nagging worry, but just as quickly, Jamie's there, the lips scattering against her skin gently putting it out. "You were so good for me, love. Thank you. _Thank you_."

Dani reaches out, captures one of Jamie's hands and presses it to her chest. Jamie seems to understand, smiling softly down at her, scratching at the glistening skin there with care before leaning over, pressing another kiss above her heart that sends warmth trickling through the nervousness attempting to settle in Dani's bones, washing it away.

"I'm here," Jamie soothes against her sternum, lips dragging up, back to Dani's cheeks, but she replaces the hand on Dani's chest, massaging gently, and it does wonders to help calm her racing pulse. "I'm here, love. I'm here."

She doesn't know what causes it, not really. She only knows that, in the afterglow, she needs Jamie close—needs Jamie peppering her with soft kisses like this, needs Jamie weighing her down, because anything less and she might collapse like cigarette ashes in the wind.

Slowly, tentatively, she raises a shaking hand and sinks it into Jamie's hair, urging her closer, and Jamie bonelessly obliges with a quiet puff of air against her cheek before stretching out, getting comfortable, slotting into the curves of Dani's figure and filling them.

"Might get uncomfortable for you in the mornin'," Jamie whispers, pressing another kiss to Dani's cheek. "Do you want me to pull out?" 

Not necessarily, Dani thinks, but it _is_ getting uncomfortable. Now that Jamie isn't actively doing anything with it, it's back to being just a toy, not Jamie, and she'd _much_ rather feel Jamie. 

"Please," she murmurs right back, humming softly when Jamie shifts, presses her face against her neck, and slowly, gently, unsheathes the length from her heat. Before Dani can even ask her, though, Jamie corrects the emptiness with her hand, cupping her but not perusing, simply touching, simply grounding, and something warm smoulders in her chest.

It's as if the force of the moment had shoved Dani's existence entirely off-kilter, but with each simple, soft, sweet touch that Jamie delivers onto her, she's being guided onto the right path again. 

"Can get a little intense," Jamie explains against her throat, pressing fleeting kisses across her skin, and it's like she's leaving little seeds of affection that take root in her body, filling her. "Need you to know I'm here."

"Can you—" Dani stops a little, balks at what she'd been about to ask, but for all her sudden shyness, Jamie matches her with equal patience, lifting her head up to press lips against her chin. From it, Dani tries to steel herself, grip tightening in Jamie's hair. "Can you… I want to feel your fingers."

There's a short, breathy laugh that billows against her lips, but it isn't the judgemental sort—no, Dani knows from the soft glittering in Jamie's eyes as she looks down at her, that it's more endeared than anything. "Of course," Jamie says softly, smearing two fingers along her folds to coat them with slickness, and when two fingers finally press into her heat, everything _finally_ corrects itself. 

She's Dani Clayton, in bed with Jamie Taylor, in a small town South of Bly.

She's Dani Clayton, in bed with Jamie Taylor, and she thinks falling for her will be the most natural thing she could ever do. 

The toy had certainly been new and exciting, thrilling even, but Jamie's fingers are familiar and comfortable and deft as they sink into her, knowing where to flutter and touch, and for all the adrenaline the night had brought, Dani thinks it can't possibly trump the way Jamie thrusts into her with her touch, _her_ touch, the way Jamie thumbs loose circles around her clit but never straying too far into where it's gone hypersensitive, the way Jamie looks down at her with the same, glittering eyes, the way Jamie kisses her with a feather-soft gentleness that steals her breath away.

When Dani comes again, it's slow but _more_ nevertheless, shuddering around Jamie's touch as Jamie presses the chastest of kisses across her face, mapping out each stretch of skin and christening it with a simple brush of her lips, and it sends Dani sobbing quietly against her.

"You're so good," Jamie mumbles sincerely, slotting their lips back together to breathe the words into Dani's lungs when she finally comes down from the cusp of ecstasy. "M'so glad you found me."

When Jamie keeps herself inside this time, it's all the more comfortable, Dani knowing that it's Jamie who's there—Jamie, and Dani, and the product of fated coincidences.

"Think I'm about to collapse," Dani manages to slur out after a little while, feeling a leisurely tiredness settle on her bones. "Cuddle?" 

"S'all I want," Jamie agrees. 

They get ready for bed quickly enough, each ducking into the adjacent loo for one final bathroom break before slipping into their discarded pyjamas. When they collapse back into bed, it's with Jamie curled into her chest, one arm thrown over her stomach to trace light, up-and-down lines along her side.

"Thank you," she manages to murmur at the cusp of sleep, folding an arm around Jamie's back and hugging her close. She feels Jamie reward her with a skirting kiss to the side of her neck. "For… a lot of things, really."

"I was willin' to give 'em to ya, Poppins," Jamie chuckles against her skin. "Turns out I'm willin' to give you a lot of things."

"Me too, Jamie."

Finally, on the third day of finally being able to live her truth, Dani's eyes flutter shut. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, the votes came in, and the majority wanted smut. hence, smut it is 👉😎👉
> 
> idk why i used those emojis when i am consistently slightly embarrassed to be posting—well, THIS. head empty, only gutter at this point, but how sweet was that ending though? 🥺 jamie just wants dani to feel comfortable and safe and welcome.
> 
> next update is gonna see the band visiting the venue for a test run... and, maybe, something new? 👀 oh me, oh my, i wonder what it could be! chapter ten is gonna be up in three days! 
> 
> ... or two, depending on how quickly i can get out of my writer's block for chapter fifteen. ✊😔


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song;  
> 🎸 talk dirty to me - poison

A part of Dani doesn't want to admit that sleeping with Jamie feels infinitely better than sleeping alone.

It makes her feel guilty—guilty, to want this woman so shamelessly, so quickly, so completely in the short amount of time she's known her. For all her talk of fucking the chronological order and wanting that to be her truth, Dani is, at the end of a day, human: a creature possessed with vulnerabilities. As much as she would like not to think about how fast everything is, she does because she is human. 

Worse, still, is that she is a human that has been made to feel guilty all her life. Every mishap, misdeed, and misdemeanour—from an incorrectly-labelled tin to an incorrectly-labelled sexuality, she's been ostracised by the people in her own life to feel like she's constantly at fault, and for the longest time, she truly did believe them. It was inevitable, really: monkey see, monkey do, and Dani might be the biggest monkey of them all. 

Sure, she left that past behind, braved a trip over the ocean to start a new life as an American smack-dab in the middle of English countryside, but old habits die hard and Dani feels _guilty_. Guilty for the feelings whipping through her stomach like a storm when she wakes up the following day to a woman in her arms and a pleasant ache between her legs. 

She feels good but she feels _guilty_. People don't normally start falling in love until maybe somewhere after the fifth or sixth date. She and Jamie have only ever had one, half-naked in Jamie's flat's dining room. It's only the fourth day that they've been in each other's _lives_ , but Dani is not about to deny the fact that having Jamie's back pressed against her front feels entirely too perfect, entirely too right. 

She feels good but she feels _guilty_. Love has always felt like a burden to Dani, an expectation, a responsibility—not with Jamie, though, because Jamie expects nothing more than what Dani is and what Dani can give at any given time. Jamie doesn't expect her to fit the role of being the perfect daughter, the perfect in-law, the perfect best friend, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect fiancé, the perfect wife. Jamie doesn't expect her to fit any other role than being Dani. _Herself_. Dani Clayton, who has fallen into bed with her, who keeps falling into bed with her—then waking up with her, spending meals with her, brushing teeth with her, having fun with her. 

She feels good but she feels _guilty_. She's falling for Jamie Taylor like it's always been the inevitable product of their fated coincidences. Worse, still, is that she doesn't even want to stop herself from the descent. Her predictions had been all too true: falling for Jamie might be one of the easiest, most natural things Dani could ever do, and Dani feels good but she feels guilty that—

"Can hear your mind whirrin'," comes Jamie's sudden grumble, voice thick with sleep, and Dani startles when the smaller woman shifts around to face her. Her eyelids are barely cracked open, the hazel interior clouded with drowsiness, but Dani likes the softness she emanates, likes the softness when Jamie raises her hand and cups the side of her face. "Everythin' alright, love?" 

Dani leans into the touch, nose brushing the skin on Jamie's wrist and breathing in. "Nothing," she starts, then stops—because they have been nothing but honest with each other since they've met, and she doesn't want to sully that honesty now, not even with a white lie. "No, it's not—it's not nothing."

The corner of Jamie's lips hitch up in a small appreciative smile, and then she's shifting again, moving, throwing a leg over Dani's thighs before hoisting herself up to straddle her.

It's intimate but not inherently sexual, the way Jamie sits in her lap; nevermind the fact that they're both as naked as the day they were born, Jamie doesn't push her into something carnal, even in this position, and Dani appreciates that, because she doesn't think she'll ever have the strength to bring the topic up again if she doesn't do it now.

"I'll listen," Jamie reassures softly, hands reaching out, and Dani meets her in-between, sitting up and wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist, face burying into the crook of her neck like she might find her strength there. Jamie's own arms loop around her neck and cradle her close, fingertips scratching against the back of her neck tenderly. "What's goin' on, Poppins?" 

Dani takes a shaky breath before starting, "Do you think things are going too fast?" 

She feels Jamie go still in her arms, and, for a fleeting second that also feels more like an hour, worry gnaws at her stomach, afraid that she may have misread the situation they've fallen into—it wouldn't be the first time, given Eddie's romantic interest that had taken her completely by surprise—but when Dani leans back to brave a look into Jamie's face, she finds… the gentlest look she's ever seen.

Jamie's looking at her with misty eyes, a soft sparkle lodged in the golden fragments of her hazel irises, and her brows are delicately furrowed, not in frustration but in mirthful bemusement. With a gentle push of the hand wrapped around the back of her neck, Dani's tugged closer until their foreheads knock together, Jamie's lips sliding lightly against her own.

"Too fast, too slow," Jamie murmurs onto her mouth, voice alight with the kind of positivity Dani can latch onto, use to anchor herself. "Time's fake, y'know? Invented for us lowly beings to quantify somethin' we can't control, 'cause it'd drive us mad if we don't. Truth of the matter is, we're only dictated by the singular days we live to see. We're mortal, Poppins. The future isn't a certainty, and the past isn't flexible—all we have is every singular 'today' we wake up to. One day at a time's all we got in this world, so we have to live our truths now while we've got the chance. We never know when we'll be denied that."

Jamie is a larger-than-life character. When Dani had first seen her on the stage, she had seemed almost… mythical. She had enraptured an entire dive bar filled with patrons from different walks of life from the sheer force of her presence and the sound of her voice, and she knows folktales have been written and kept and passed on describing lesser miracles. She is a force of nature, and if anything stands at the cusp of divinity, it could only be Jamie when she's on stage, lost in the music of her and her band, lost in the cacophony of the crowd. 

But there's something equally as miraculous in Jamie like this—here, reaching out to Dani, soothing her, steadying her. If Jamie on stage is a supernova, all white-hot energy expanding from her in cosmic waves, and if Jamie during sex is a storm, loud and electric and supercharged with desire, Jamie in-between can only be the endless expanse of the night sky, a natural miracle of its own for all its complex simplicity.

"Live your truth, Poppins," Jamie adds with a soft, chiming laughter that finally stills the tremble in Dani's stomach, hands slipping away from her neck to cup her face between warm, calloused, comfortable palms, "because I'm livin' mine right here. With you."

And Dani kisses her, because she feels good, and maybe she doesn't have to feel _guilty_ anymore.

"I will," she whispers against the happy glint of Jamie's teeth. "Right here, with you."

Eventually, after Michael's third, insistent knock, Jamie and Dani eventually do manage to extricate themselves from their shared bed.

She feels good when they elect to take a shower together to minimise their time consumption, scrubbing each other clean and somehow managing not to jump each other's bones, even when Jamie notices the dark mark that has since bloomed on Dani's neck that Dani can't help but keep touching reverently.

She feels good when they elect to switch clothes for the day—Dani in Jamie's Blondie shirt and Jamie in Dani's mauve jumper—and then attempt to switch shoes, only to switch back when they realise that they absolutely do _not_ share the same foot sizes.

She feels good when she looks up to see the finished product of their switch in the mirror: Jamie, with her hair tied up that makes Dani's heart dance in her chest, a single curl hanging defiantly between her eyebrows, dashing in Dani's top and black leather pants that are tight enough to be a sin and a pair of black boots, and Dani, with her hair wild and loose, face flushed with euphoric freedom, comfortable in Jamie's shirt that's cuffed at the sleeves and blue jeans cuffed at the ankles and plain white sneakers.

She feels good when Jamie pulls her back in front of the mirror for one last look, a half-smile peppered lightly across her cheek, a murmured, "Think we look cute, Poppins."

She feels good when they finally walk out of their room, hand-in-hand, to Owen and Hannah's matching kind smiles, to Rebecca's knowing smirk, and to Michael's playful eyeroll. 

She feels good when they slip into a diner, when Jamie curls up into her side with an arm over her shoulder, when Owen makes the most atrocious puns known to mankind and sends them all laughing until they're delirious, when Michael gets a number written on a table napkin, and then two, and then five. 

She feels good, and she starts feeling guilty less and less.

— 🎸 —

There's a pleasant sort of ache that permeates Dani's body when the morning finally rolls into noon.

It's present and insistent, a reminder of last night's activities, but never the kind for her to curl and flinch away from. If anything, she basks in its passive sting, its tentative throb, haunting every shift of her hips as they walk around the venue of tomorrow night's show.

Dani had expected Caesius to be a boxed-in type of affair, perhaps a private venue or music hall. Instead, it's a sprawling plot of land housing several food tents, leisure areas, bars, and the largest stage Dani has ever seen in her life… which isn't saying much, because Dani has never really been to any music festivals before, but it's incredibly daunting all the same.

"You're supposed to perform," she starts hesitantly as the group is led by the organizers to the performers' quarters, a cordoned-off section of tents near the back of the stage's massive screen, "on _that_?" 

"Yeah," Owen answers with an appreciative nod towards it. "Have for the past couple of years, actually."

"Jamie likes the wide space," Michael adds, bumping his shoulder against hers good-naturedly. "Lets her have her fun when she's going through a run. Anythin' smaller and she has to stand in place all awkward-like."

Dani doesn't think anything Jamie does could ever be seen as awkward, but she hums all the same and turns around, trying to locate the aforementioned brunette, only to find her already sitting on the edge of the stage, legs swinging, a cigarette trapped between her lips. How she got up there, considering that it's about the height of her chest, Dani isn't quite sure.

"What do you think so far, Poppins?" Jamie asks as Dani wanders over, squinting against the daylight as she tries to light her cigarette. The Cricket sparks uselessly in the air, buffeted by the breeze, and she gives it a furious shake, lights up, and grunts when the end finally catches.

"It's definitely bigger than I imagined," she admits, folding her arms on top of Jamie's lap and blinking up at her. "You got all this space?" 

"Only a little bit for today, to test the set-up with our instruments," Jamie explains, leaning down to slot the cigarette between Dani's lips, letting her take a puff before returning it to her own, "but it'll be ours for half an hour tomorrow for the set."

Dani props her chin against her arms, smiling softly when she feels Jamie lean down, trace the rise of her cheeks with a free hand.

"You still achin' down there?"

Jamie's eyes are awash with something soft and sincere, a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth, and Dani reaches up on her tiptoes to press a kiss against the side of her neck, mindful of the lit cigarette dangling from her lips. "It's fine, Jamie. I promise."

"I can get you a chair if ya want," Jamie offers with a tip of her head, and Dani shivers appreciatively when Jamie tucks a lock of hair behind her ear before moving down to cup her jaw. "Really, s'no trouble."

"You know, I think I kinda like the ache," Dani starts, lips flickering into a smirk as she reaches up and wraps a tentative finger around the gold chain decorating Jamie's neck, tugs gently until the brunette is leaning down and closer to her. Confidence igniting in the depths of her gut, Dani crosses the distance between their faces, pressing her lips against Jamie's ear before continuing, "but you know what'll make it feel even better?" 

She feels Jamie shudder when she gently sinks her teeth into her earlobe. "Yeah? What's that?" 

"Having your fingers inside to fix it." With that being said, Dani plucks the cigarette from Jamie's lips just before it goes slack and plops the filter in her own mouth, leaning back and watching Jamie's expression shift through several different stages of desire.

Dani won't deny the puff of pride she feels, rendering the usually cock-sure Jamie speechless, even if it's only for a few seconds.

" _Christ_ , Dani," Jamie manages, voice dark and thick, and Dani thinks she's finally won this round… until she sees Jamie's eyes glimmer. "Well, c'mere then, if you want it fixed so bad."

Dani balks, and damn near drops the cigarette when she does. 

"Well?" Jamie's eyebrows hop up inquisitively, and then she's shifting, legs moving forward to wrap around Dani's shoulders, urging her closer with ankles pressed against her upper back until she's smushed against the side of the stage. "I wouldn't be opposed to havin' ya right here, right now."

Dani would be lying if she says she doesn't consider it, but all she can manage is a pitched, whined, " _Jamie_." 

Jamie only laughs, releasing her. "Alright, alright," she acquiesces, retrieving the cigarette from Dani's lips, then leaning forward to capture her in a kiss that sends her stomach spinning. "Maybe one day…"

Dani pinches the skin on her stomach lightly before returning her arms over Jamie's lap, placing her head on top of it and sighing. Jamie accommodates her easily enough, free hand moving to card through her hair, and Dani likes this—likes this easiness to the moment, the bustle of the sparse crowd of the venue dimming as she focuses on the way Jamie's fingertips run against her scalp. 

They stay like that until there's bustling on stage. Jamie twists to look at it from over her shoulder, and Dani leans around Jamie's waist to find that the rest of the band have started to set up their instruments, Rebecca carrying Jamie's guitar and waving her over. 

"Well, that's my cue," Jamie says with a tip of her head, flicking the cigarette away and grinning when it lands almost perfectly in the ashtray of the nearby bin. Then, Jamie adds hopefully, "A kiss for good luck, Poppins?" 

Dani snorts. "I thought today was just supposed to be a test run."

The corner of Jamie's lips hitch up, flashing a leisurely, lopsided smile, murmuring, "Yeah, but can I get a good luck kiss anyway?" 

And it's not like Dani can _deny_ her, not like she'd ever even _want_ to, so she leans back up on her tiptoes, brackets Jamie's impossibly attractive jawline with her palms, and kisses her—then, very quickly, _squeaks_ when Jamie deepens it smoothly, leaving the taste of menthol cigarettes on Dani's tongue when she finally gets up and walks away. 

"I don't think I've ever seen her that effortlessly happy," a voice muses to her side, and Dani shifts around to find that Hannah has joined her, offering a soft, serene smile. "Jamie, I mean."

"Really?"

"She's tough, but she's been through a lot, and people can only take so much before they start showing cracks," Hannah explains further, eyes on the band as they start testing their equipment experimentally, making adjustments after every run. "I'm sure you've noticed at this point, yes?" 

Dani smiles softly, twisting to face Hannah fully. "Yeah, I—I've seen her get into her head, sometimes, but I don't want to push her and bring back old ghosts."

"She'll tell you when she's ready," Hannah confirms with a steady nod of her head. "Listen, Dani. We like you. That's why I feel like I need to tell you—" 

"Is this the best friend talk?" Dani feels the skin of her cheeks flush, flush even more when Hannah lets out a surprised, vibrant laugh. 

"No, dear," she reassures, placing a hand on Dani's shoulder and squeezing gently, and it helps placate the brisk pace of her pulse. "It's just that… well, music has always been Jamie's escape. When she's up there, performing, she's the happiest she can be… and then you came along."

Hannah doesn't offer much more beyond that, ending the conversation by sweeping her gaze back to the stage, and though Dani follows suit, she can't help but feel a little euphoric at that. 

More than the approval Jamie's friends seem to give her, this wonderful, talented, multi-faceted woman is happy in her company—her, Dani Clayton, a stray, unemployed American in the middle of English countryside.

" _Oi, Poppins_!" 

Dani's eyes land on the woman in question: Jamie, with the mint-green guitar slung over her shoulders, grinning lazily back at her, mouth hovering over the microphone. 

Dani can't even find it in herself to be embarrassed that Jamie had called her " _Poppins_ " through the sound system for the entire venue to hear, too busy beaming up at Jamie.

"This one's for you, love," Jamie says, flashing her a wink—and _yes_ , that wink most certainly still does things to her.

The song starts with an energetic run through her guitar, fingers skidding expertly across the strings, and Dani is very quickly reminded of the first time she'd laid eyes on Jamie.

Her transformation happens quickly, easily, a starry sky going supernova, painting the space around her with a burst of colour and a crackle of energy, and Dani is _magnetised_ all over again. 

" _You know I never, I never seen you look so good._  
 _You never act the way you should but I like it,_  
 _And I know you like it too, the way that I want you;_  
 _I gotta have you, oh yes, I do._ "

It's like they're back in the Manor, Jamie standing sideways on the stage to face her fully, oblivious to the crowd that has gathered at the front of it. There's only Dani—Dani, who's looking up at her like she's hung the stars in the sky single-handedly, her grin wide and exhilarated as she watches Jamie sing. 

" _I never, I never ever stay out late._  
 _You know that I can hardly wait just to see you,_  
 _And I know you cannot wait, wait to see me too._  
 _I gotta touch you, 'cause baby we'll be_

 _At the drive-in, in the old man's Ford;_  
 _Behind the bushes 'til I'm screaming for more;_  
 _Down the basement, lock the cellar door_  
 _And, baby, talk dirty to me._ "

Jamie leaves the microphone then, transitioning vocalist duties to Michael, who carries it effortlessly even as he continues playing the drums. Dani watches, entranced, as Jamie swaggers over with her damn guitar, body moving to the beat, to each riff, mouthing the words to the song all the same as she draws closer. 

" _You know I call you, I call you on the telephone,_  
 _I'm only hoping that you're home so I can hear you_  
 _When you say those words to me,_  
 _And whisper so softly;_  
 _I gotta hear you, 'cause baby we'll be_

_'At the drive-in, in the old man's Ford;_   
_Behind the bushes 'til I'm screaming for more;_   
_Down the basement, lock the cellar door_   
_And, baby, talk dirty to me._

_Jamie, pick up that guitar and talk to me!_ "

And then Jamie's making runs on her guitar, brows furrowed but lips blown wide with a euphoric smile, simmering hazel eyes pinning Dani to the spot—and Dani recalls what Jamie had said their first night together, that it's almost like sex, and she thinks she gets it now, gets it because it's the only way to describe the way Jamie's looking at her as she plays, the way her head bobs and her curls fly in the air around her, the way her hips pivot to support each strung-out note…

The way Jamie crashes to her knees as she hits the second part of the run, fingers flexing effortlessly as she meets each note, continues like that with eyes only ever on Dani as Michael returns to the chorus.

" _Cause baby we'll be at the drive-in,_  
 _In the old man's Ford; behind them bushes_  
 _'til I'm screaming for more, more, more;_  
 _Down the basement, and lock the cellar door_  
 _And, baby, talk dirty to me, yeah._  
 _And, baby, talk dirty to me, yeah, yeah, yeah._  
 _And, baby, talk dirty to me._ "

Jamie finishes with a last run, pushing hard on her strings to Michael's beats, and then she's unlooping the strap from her shoulders, setting the instrument aside, and leaning down to take Dani's face into her palms to crash their lips together with a groan. 

Dani's hands fly up to meet her, immediately threading into soft curls and holding on, body shivering when Jamie nibbles gently at her lower lip before soothing it with a caress of tongue, and Dani forgets where they are, mindless of everybody else when Jamie's kissing her breathless like this.

"Your eyes," Jamie growls against her when they finally part, foreheads pressing together, and her voice is ragged even when her touch is soft, tracing the curve of Dani's jaw almost reverently. "Those _goddamn_ eyes."

"Can't help it," Dani laughs back, pressing a kiss to the corner of Jamie's lips when it hitches up. "You looked so good up there."

"Think I've already heard that compliment from ya," Jamie jokes, returning the kiss, and Dani accommodates it happily, tipping her head back to meet her fully. "Any others you can think of?" 

It's her turn to catch Jamie's lip between her teeth, tugging gently before murmuring, "I can always show you later."

"Hm, think I'd quite like that—" 

The sound of a purposefully slow clap interrupts them, and Dani sees the exact moment Jamie freezes, body tensing the way she does when guilt comes crashing down on her. Slowly, almost unwillingly, Jamie tears her eyes away to find the source of the sarcastic applause, and Dani follows suit, finding an older woman standing just a few feet away from them, eyebrow arched at the display.

"Well, Jamie dear, I didn't think I'd be seeing you back here again," the woman offers crisply, and though there's a smile on her face, it's cold and waxy, the kind that sends an uncomfortable shiver racing down Dani's spine. 

Dani turns to look at Jamie, confused by the sardonic comment the woman's provided, but she stops when she sees the hardened look on Jamie's face, impossibly tense as the brunette regards her with clear loathing. 

Jamie drops down from the stage and steps between her and the stranger, one hand reaching behind her—reaching _for_ her, Dani realises, and she quickly slips her fingers into Jamie's grasp, letting Jamie pull her until she's almost pressed against the smaller woman's back.

"Viola," Jamie grumbles in greeting, and Dani doesn't think she's ever heard Jamie's voice like this before: angry, seething, barely biting back an audible snarl. "Or is it _Lady Lloyd_ now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would like to personally apologise to viola lloyd for this whole mess but, as it turns out, i needed someone to take the role of. well. THAT. i hope you'll forgive me for this one day, viola. please don't chokeslam me and drag me into the lake ✊😔
> 
> anyway, oh, we actually had a bit of a """"story"""" going on for this fic? y'all, i'm just as shocked as you JFSLDKJKSDSLD
> 
> i say """"story"""" because it's more like a loose collection of prompts designed to bring out Maximum Fluff... and smut, on occasion 👉😎👉
> 
> FUN FACT: when i put this chapter on WordCounter to see how many words i typed, i also found out that the words "dani" and "jamie" were BOTH mentioned 69 times. yes, both of them. no, i did not plan any of this. yes, i did indeed die cackling over the coincidence DSJFKLSDJFKSDLFJLKS


	11. Chapter 11

There's something wrong.

The're something wrong in the way Jamie holds herself with the same tenseness that accompanies her fearful flashes of guilt, and Dani knows it could only be because of her—Viola, _Lady Lloyd_ , smirking back at the two of them, entirely unperturbed by the hostility she receives in return. There's something wrong in the way Jamie looks like she's both puffing out her chest in defiance and curling into herself simultaneously, like she isn't sure whether she should take one step forward or two steps back. There's something wrong in the way Jamie's hands, often so warm and present in hers, start turning cold in her grasp, like the blood is draining from her body completely. There's something wrong—

" _Jesus Christ_ , what'll it take for you to leave us alone, yeah?" 

Dani turns at the new voice entering the fray, Michael's, finally noticing that the rest of the band have approached… and _every single one_ of them looks about just as angry, just as displeased, just as _haunted_ as Jamie is, but Viola doesn't even _look_ at the rest of them.

It's almost as if they're ghosts. 

"Jamie," Viola tuts, and Dani feels the way Jamie steps back, sinks further into her like a cornered animal, and the revelation sends bitterness flooding Dani's tongue like she's swallowed something rotten, something vile. " _Viola_? Really? Why, I much preferred when you called me ' _love_ ', you know? It certainly had a much nicer ring to it."

Jamie's grasp on her fingers tighten reflexively, and Dani knows—Dani knows she needs to get Jamie away from this woman as soon as possible.

Without the slightest shadow of hesitation, Dani quickly steps forward, slipping between Jamie and Viola, turning the tables, pulling Jamie closer against her back and frowning when she can almost feel the brunette trembling where their bodies touch. It isn't fair, she thinks, for someone so vibrant and explosive to be reduced to such a state. It isn't fair at all. "Please leave us alone. It's clear she doesn't want to talk to you."

The woman tempers her with a cold look, and it feels like taking a dip in _frigid_ water, the way her muscles freeze, as if on cue, as if on demand, but Dani weathers it with a look of her own, because Jamie is shaking and the band is seething and Dani doesn't like this woman, not one bit. 

"She doesn't?" Viola has the audacity to feign confusion, eyebrows knitting together as she regards Dani with a look one might reserve for someone deserving her pity. "Oh, but she used to _love_ spending all her time with me."

"She—"

"Besides, who are _you_ to speak for her?" Viola gasps, interrupting her without a blink, and Dani has _never_ been a violent person, but she thinks that slapping her across the face would be a deeply cathartic experience for them all. "A _groupie_ , perhaps?" 

Dani feels something sharp crackle behind her teeth, a violent retort begging to lash out, but before she can respond, Michael's jumping down the stage to stand between them, and the rest of the band follow suit, forming a wall between Viola and Dani, between Viola and _Jamie_ —

Jamie, who is quivering against her back, offering nary a peep as her fingers clutch at the hem of Dani's shirt, anchoring them together in a tangle of haphazard limbs as she pushes and pulls and sets her weight from one foot to the other.

"Take her to the van," Owen says over his shoulder, looking down at Dani with dark, turbulent eyes that speak volumes about what this woman must have done to their group. It's very unlike him, she thinks, the way his face is coloured by agitation... but what does she know, really, when she's only known them for so long? "Drive back to the motel. We'll find our own way back. Please, Dani, take her."

Dani doesn't need to be told twice. 

She takes Jamie's hand and drags her off, across the grounds, past the entrance, through the woodlands, all the way to the parking lot.

Jamie's quiet the entire walk there, grip iron-tight and eyes downcast, and Dani aches for her. Aches for this passionate woman who has become muted by the confrontation, stone-like and gray and a mere husk of who she is, and Dani has never hated anyone in full but she thinks she just might start now. 

Because there is no way a person like Jamie would shut down if Viola had been anything less than awful.

Jamie continues her silence as they reach the van, as they drive back to the motel, as they arrive back in their room in less than twenty minutes, and it's the haunting kind of quiet that sends Dani's worry burning hotter and hotter. The brunette simply stands there when Dani locks the door behind them, breathing shallowly in the middle of the four cream-coloured walls, staring at the rug beneath the soles of her feet with her fists tucked tightly into her hands, smaller than she's ever been, smaller than Dani's ever seen her—and Dani wants to help, Dani _needs_ to help, but she doesn't even know where to start. 

"Jamie," she calls out tentatively, but Jamie's still looking at the ground, lip tucked between her teeth as she worries into it. "Jamie, tell me how I can help—" 

"She was my ex," Jamie breathes out in one sharp exhale, never lifting her gaze, shoulders tense like she might be shrinking back, and Dani keeps her distance—thinks Jamie wants her to keep her distance while she says this, like Dani might stray into the kind of territory Jamie doesn't want her to be in, like it might taint her. "She was part of the band, then she fucked us all over. I didn't—fuck, I didn't even know what she was doin' at the time, y'know? I never even noticed she was alienatin' me from my own mates, that she was stretchin' me thin, that I was frayin' at the edges. She just consumed."

Jamie takes a step back, and she's pale, bone-white like a sheet, eyes sweeping everywhere around the room but never at Dani. A cornered animal, Dani thinks again, breathless and panicked and jittery and scared, seconds away from fleeing—but for all Jamie's visible fear, she stands her ground, giving her head a shake like it might steel her nerves. 

"It's like I belonged to her, and it got—god, _fuck_ , the person that I was back then," Jamie manages through gritted teeth, and her body is _trembling_ , like the smallest breeze might knock her over entirely. She raises her hands and threads them into her hair, tugging and pulling and yanking as if doing so will help her get the words out, and when Dani reaches out hesitantly, tries to stop her, it's only then that Jamie looks. 

Her eyes are hollow and it _terrifies_ her.

"Dani." Jamie says her name like it might be the only thing to keep her afloat, each vowel heavy with the horror like Dani might leave her, "Dani, I'm _so_ —" 

"For what?" Dani finally dares to approach, pace slow because Jamie is cornered and she doesn't want to spook her. For every step she takes, she stops and stares, checking to see if the brunette is shifting away, waiting and waiting until she receives a shallow nod, and then she steps again. "You didn't do anything wrong, Jamie. You haven't. At all."

"She called you a—" Jamie's jaw flexes, teeth sinking around the word, eyes clenching shut as she trips over the insult, incapable of saying it, "—you're not that. You're _not_ , Dani, please know that you're not just that to me." 

"I know, Jamie." And she does. She sincerely does. She's not dense, she knows that there's something here, more than just a passing fancy, but Jamie's afraid and she wants nothing more than to reassure her. She knows, and Jamie knows, and she needs to remind her of that truth—the truth they've talked about, just this morning, whispered to each other between soft kisses. "I'm more than that."

"You're more than that—" 

"And you feel something for me," Dani continues, barely a breath away from Jamie now. The air around the brunette is almost thick, almost palpable, almost oppressive, but Dani breaches it with another step, because Jamie looks like she needs someone to anchor her to the reality they have, the truth they're living. 

"I feel somethin' for you."

Dani's lips hitch up at the sides, soft and tender in expression as she finally reaches out for Jamie's hand. The brunette blinks like she's surfacing from a haze of sleep, and then she's reaching out in kind. 

When their fingers finally slip together, tender to calloused, Jamie breathes like it's the first time she's been able to, pulling oxygen sharply back into her lungs as Dani finally closes the distance between them, stepping and pulling until they're flush together. 

"And I feel something for you, too," Dani finishes quietly, raising their intertwined hands and pressing a kiss to Jamie's fingers, dusting it across each, trembling fingertip. "You told me yourself, remember? ' _Come for the great sex, stay for the annoyin' prat… annoyin' prat bein' yourself, o'course_.'"

And finally, _finally_ , Jamie laughs, and it's a weak, wet sound but it's a laugh nevertheless. "That was _atrocious_ ," the brunette manages shakily, "and I texted that, you didn't need to desecrate it."

"I kinda did," Dani says with a small smile, reaching up with her other hand to caress the skin beneath Jamie's eyes; eyes that are slowly starting to get their warmth back, ever so gently, catching like embers on kindling. "I'm here. I'm not letting myself be chased away by some nobody."

"You do realise that that was a signed musician, right?" Even then, Jamie is finally starting to sink into her, and Dani can see it happen, the way she's stitching her own fragments together in the comfort and privacy of Dani's presence. " _Lady Lloyd_? Really doesn't ring a bell?" 

Perhaps it does, but Dani shakes her head petulantly anyway. "Not a clue."

When Jamie finally kisses her, it's like breathing, a natural give and take. Where Dani's lips give way, Jamie's there to fill in the gaps, and when Jamie makes space for her, she sinks into it in kind, and she thinks she can spend the rest of her life like this, basking in Jamie's growing warmth, lifting her from the depths by the hands until they're breaking the surface. 

She isn't quite sure who deepens it at first, only that it ends up there anyway, Jamie's hands rising to cup her face and Dani's arms winding around Jamie's waist, needing to be as close as their bodies can physically allow them. Jamie's tongue sweeps into her mouth like an ocean wave finding home along the shore, and she welcomes it with a gentle laugh.

" _Touch me_ ," Jamie whispers against her lips, a plea that Dani captures around another kiss as she slowly backs Jamie into the desk and onto its surface. "Touch me, Dani."

She groans and diverts her mouth to Jamie's neck, licking along the salty skin there as Jamie's knees bracket her hips. Her own hands fall, rubbing up and down the brunette's thighs through the material of her pants, and she rewards the delicate arch of Jamie's back with a soft bite along the line of her throat, using each touch to remind her where she is—not in the past, with Viola, but in the present, with her truth. 

"Touch me," Jamie begs again, pulling away to yank the sweater off, unbuttoning her pants and frantically pushing it down like it's much too hot, much too tight. Dani helps her, peeling the material off of Jamie's legs before standing back up, sinking into Jamie's embrace and resuming her kisses along a panting chest. "I need ya. I need to feel ya."

"I'm here," Dani murmurs as she pushes Jamie's bra up, captures a nipple between her lips and receives the cant of Jamie's hips with her own. She wraps one hand around the brunette's other nipple, twists gently as the other trips a path down a quivering stomach, teasing the hem of her boxers.

Jamie throws her head back, threads shaky fingers into her hair to pull her closer, and Dani wants her. Dani _wants_ her. 

She lets her fingers slip past the garter of her underwear, ventures past tight curls until she finds the damp flesh hidden underneath, and the sound Jamie makes is less like a moan and more like a cry, echoing in Dani's ears as she starts to trace loose circles around Jamie's burning clit. 

There's something exhilarating about Jamie letting her take control like this, setting the pace, dictating the speed. The way Jamie hands it over to her without fear, without inhibition—trust given and trust gained—makes this all the more meaningful, all the more significant, all the more indicative of the way they've come together, tangled together. Even better when Jamie leans forward, presses a modest kiss to her forehead as Dani sucks a pebbled nipple into her mouth. 

Jamie's voice husks her name against her skin, a continuous chant of " _Dani, please_ ", and it's a give and take, the way Jamie gives and Dani takes, the way Dani gives and Jamie takes.

She speeds up her touch and tightens the circle around Jamie's clit, lathers her fingers through wet folds before slipping two into her centre, watches in breathless awe as Jamie's body starts bucking, riding, meeting her steady thrusts.

"Live your truth," she whispers, lips tracing up the line of Jamie's neck, tasting skin and sweat, capturing a patch of skin between her teeth and biting down until Jamie's hips start stuttering against her. "With me, Jamie."

"I am," Jamie murmurs back against her temple, and Dani feels her walls tighten for every flutter of a thrust she makes, every sweep of the thumb against a straining clit, every brush of a kiss higher until she's pressing it to the underside of Jamie's jaw. " _God_ , Dani, I am."

Jamie accommodates her every touch with a vulnerability that tugs at Dani's heart, pulls it in different directions until it's expanding, until she doesn't think her chest can contain it anymore. Each choked whimper, each uttered confession, each whined plea only makes it grow, threatening to spill, and the only way she can keep herself from unravelling is by transferring as much of the heady emotion into Jamie as she can.

" _Dani_ ," Jamie sighs reverently, and Dani captures her own name, sucking Jamie's lower lip into her mouth like it might coax more out of her, and it does. "Dani… _Dani_ , please, stay."

It's with this request that she feels Jamie clench around her fingers, and Dani holds her close through each shiver and tremble and buck, free arm curling around Jamie's back to keep her close. Jamie's soft moan is muffled onto her cheek, against her jaw, then pressed onto her lips, breathing sharply as Dani carries her through her climax, because Jamie had asked her to stay, and so Dani stays. 

Dani stays: her fingers finally still in Jamie's folds, but Jamie keeps her there for moments longer, ankles winding around Dani's hips to press against her lower back until they're fused together.

Dani stays: she melts into the soft embrace of Jamie's arms, clinging around her neck, and kisses her with all the answers she can muster, each " _yes_ " pressed against a trembling lip, a desperate tongue. 

Dani stays: she pulls her fingers away to give them a taste, cleaning each digit before sinking back into Jamie's body, because even the slightest step away might shatter her, might shatter them both. 

Danielle had run.

Dani stays.

— 🎸 —

"Viola Willoughby."

Owen has a very muted look on his face. It's thick and ominous, like dark clouds lingering on the horizon, and for all Dani's growing familiarity with the group, this is one expression she's never seen him wear before. She's never seen _any_ of them wear before, really, and that must say a lot about the topic they're about to crack open for her sake.

It had been a quarter past six by the time the rest of the band arrived at the motel, and none of them stayed long. Dani and Jamie, who had been basking in the afterglow of their _more-than-just-sex_ , were almost immediately dragged out for dinner.

One deafening silence and van ride later, here they are, heads bowed together in a small booth in the back of a bistro, as far away from everybody else as possible. 

"Really," Dani starts to say from where she's settled in Jamie's side, tucked under the brunette's arm, "If it's a heavy topic, we don't have to—" 

"It's okay," Owen interrupts with a gentle smile, breaking through the overcast skies with his usual warmth. "If you're sticking around, you need to know."

"S'alright, Poppins," Jamie adds, and Dani feels the arm around her shoulders tighten, bringing her closer until the brunette's lips are dusting the rise of her cheekbones. "We'd rather tell you about it now than you learnin' it from _her_ , anyway."

"Like I'd even listen to her," Dani snorts softly, twisting around to press a chaste kiss to Jamie's lips before settling back on her shoulder. "Okay, if you guys are sure…"

They flash her an honest nod, and with that reassurance in mind, Dani buries herself deeper into Jamie's embrace. 

"Viola Willoughby was the vocalist before Jamie took the mantle," Owen starts, eyes flicking between her face and Jamie's, tentative and careful. "We were still rather new then, went by _Lakehouse_ …"

With a somber face, Owen details the story of their band's infancy.

Viola had started dating Jamie when she joined the band following their last lead guitarist's exit. Jamie had been a friend of Owen, an insanely talented individual, and with the perfect spot open, it had only taken a phone call to get her on board.

The further he goes on, the tighter Jamie's arm on her seems to be, as if Dani would flee at any moment, but Dani makes a point to press closer into her, a silent reassurance that there's nowhere else she'd rather be. 

"Viola, she… developed an interest in Jamie," Owen explains haltingly, watching the brunette's expression. Dani turns to follow the line of his gaze, finds Jamie looking darkly at the edge of the table, and so she does the only thing she can: she takes the other hand placed casually in Jamie's lap and holds it in her own. With the gesture, Jamie seems to, at the very least, soften, flashing a look Dani's way and offering a hesitant smile.

"An obsession, more like," Jamie corrects quietly, squeezing Dani's hand in kind. "She… she wanted everythin', and what did I know 'bout real relationships back then? I was nineteen. I was stupid."

Jamie shakes her head, sighs a sad sound that prods at Dani's heart. 

" _God_ , I was an areshole. Young, excited, dumb—I thought it was how it went, you know? When she wanted all of me, I gave it, because I thought… I thought that was how it was s'posed to go." Dani watches as Jamie attempts to close back in on herself, shy away, but with a clenched jaw, Jamie pushes through, brows furrowing as she tries to slip the next few words out of her teeth. "She—I… she wanted everythin'. Bloke named Arthur Lloyd came to town. Music producer. Wanted me to get his phone, numbers and all. Knew where he stayed. I was _stupid_. I broke in. I got caught. I took the fall." 

The hand in Dani's grasp is shaking, trembling, loosening around her fingers but Dani latches on, because this is a Jamie she's seen before—guilty, wary, scared.

Dani _aches_ for her.

"Spent two years at Her Majesty's pleasure. God. Jesus, _two years_ of my life gone jus' like that, 'cause I thought I—" Jamie takes a deep breath, and that's when she looks at Dani. Her eyes can barely see her through the haze there, but Dani holds her gaze anyway, so that Jamie might see her when she surfaces. "When I was out, I looked for her. Turns out, she took the opportunity to kiss up to the Lloyd bastard and ended up marryin' him."

"Jamie…"

"Yeah. Load of shite, I know." Dani pulls Jamie's hand into her own lap, massages it gently in hers until Jamie offers a small crack of a smile. "Then, when she heard I was out, she reached out to me. Told me—she told me I should be her partner, musically, and to leave the band. Said if I didn't, if I stayed, our careers would be dead in the water before it could even start, because who the fuck would want to sign someone who tried to break into a _producer's_ flat, right?"

Jamie waits for her to answer, unseeing eyes steady, and Dani raises the hand in her grasp and peppers a kiss across her palm, smiling when Jamie's fingers flex reflexively, like she might be able to catch it. "But you said no."

"But I said no. Because she threatened my friends, and maybe I was stupid, for even listenin' to her in the first place, but that was too far even for me." Jamie finishes with a wry smile before exhaling sharply, and it's like she's expelling all of the iron in her bones the way her tense body deflates, slowly but surely, sinking against Dani in kind. "So I cut off contact with her then. I wasn't even s'posed to return to the band, but Owen—" 

"Owen said," Rebecca finally chimes in, and it's like the table has finally released all the breath its been holding, timing its exit with that of Jamie's, "that if our careers were dead in the water, so be it. We'll keep doing what we love as ghosts."

"Hence," Owen interrupts with a growing smile, blooming in the wake of such dark revelations, unfurling across his face to herald, physically and symbolically, a greater change, " _Jamie and the Poltergeists._ "

"A big ' _fuck you_ ' to that miserable hag that thought she'd get rid of us in the music scene," Michael jumps in with a raise of his glass, voice loud and bellowing, mindless of the other patrons in the establishment as some of his ale sloshes from the rim to splatter against Rebecca's shoulder, who feigns elbowing him in response. "Alas, we are far too good-lookin' not to be the centre of attention."

Jamie finally lets out a laugh than, grabbing an olive from her table and lobbing it at her brother, teasing, "Prat, you weren't here until after all that!" 

Michael follows the trajectory of the olive with an open mouth and catches it, flashing the olive playfully between his teeth. "So? I can celebrate in solidarity, can't I?" 

And finally, mercifully, they surface from the frigid depths of the past. Still, much hurt lingers there, Dani knows—for Jamie, the most, whose ghosts still haunt the soft crease between her eyebrows, so Dani leans up and tugs gently at Jamie's collar until the brunette is leaning forward, and Dani presses a kiss to the dip of skin until it's smooth under her lips again.

Her hand rises to cup the sharp jut of Jamie's jaw in one palm, holds her close as she presses another kiss along the bridge of her nose; and then again to the edge of her growing smile, and then again over her mouth, and it's during this that Jamie catches her and kisses her in kind, and it's a soft, delicate, fleeting brush but it's evocative all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> terribly sorry for the delay, everyone! the past few days have been impossible, and i haven't been able to do much writing. between real life and possible anxiety, i've been having a rough go at it, and you wouldn't believe the struggle i've been having trying to write chapter 14 and onwards. hopefully, we can go back to a regular posting schedule soon. i'll appreciate everyone's patience on the matter. 🥺
> 
> so, yeah. again, terribly sorry, viola, please don't kill me ✌️😔 but hey, we got some Smut Lite™ and a little backstory... or a lot of backstory, really. i just flooded this chapter with backstory like a total newbie 🤦♀️
> 
> but hey, hey, next chapter, we're gonna be having a nice performance from the poltergeists (and by nice, i mean hot, and by hot, i mean dani's Thirsty™ again but, honestly, that's a constant mood at this point). please take it as my peace offering for whatever This is ❤️
> 
> EDIT: not me giving another read-through after having posted and noticing all the typos i'm 🤦♀️


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs;  
> 🎸 you drive me wild - the runaways  
> 🎸 hot for teacher - van halen

The day of the gig finally comes. 

Dani is no music expert by any means, but as they finally arrive at the venue, redecorated for the day of the event, she thinks that it might be less like a regular gig and more like a mini music festival. Food carts, photo booths, minigames, and minibars adorn the fringes of the wide, open space nestled in the middle of woodland, and the stage is ablaze with a band called _The Paper Cranes_. 

"We've performed with them a few times," Jamie explains as she leads Dani towards the bar, the Poltergeists free to peruse the premises until 7:00 PM, which is when they'll be squirreled off backstage to prepare for their own setlist (which, unfortunately for Dani, also includes Hannah as their manager, leaving her all by her lonesome while they're gone). "A real professional lot, good at what they do. If anybody's gettin' a record deal outta this, it's them."

"I don't know," Dani hums, leaning her hip against the counter and accepting the cup of beer Jamie hands her. Mercifully, it's much better than the washed out stuff she can afford at the Manor, and she indulges herself in the rich taste, then licking the froth from her upper lip afterwards (and noticing, with a pleasant flip of her stomach, the way seems to Jamie stare). "I've seen you sing. Could pull a lot of people with that."

"The way I pulled you?" Jamie's eyebrows shoot up, smile turning devilish, and Dani knows she's recalling the afternoon in question—Jamie on the stage, Dani with her underwear practically on the floor as she had watched in awe. A truly life-changing encounter, if not a little embarrassing on her part, but she would never regret it. It all worked out in the end, after all. "Heh, _nah_ , I think m'already satisfied with the one I got. Bit of a weirdo, but hey, so am I. Don't think either of us know what a _shag-and-scram_ means."

"I meant _producers_ ," Dani snorts, feigning offense, pushing Jamie's shoulder but never hard enough to dislodge her from her side.

"Rather not date producers either," Jamie continues with a growing grin, teasing and roguish and endearing, that Dani can't help but adore. "Think I've only got the hots for cheeky teachers with a helluva mouth on 'em when you lick them hard enough—" 

" _Jamie_!" 

Jamie only laughs, surging forward to capture her lips in a playful kiss. "Alright, alright," Jamie acquiesces into Dani's widening smile, "I won't tease the teacher until I'm somewhere alone with her."

"You can always take her somewhere alone now," Dani murmurs back and, with a quick look around to confirm that everybody's busy with their own drinks, captures Jamie's lower lip between her teeth, puffing with pride when she sees Jamie's eyelids flutter at the sensation. "I think she'd like that _very_ much."

Jamie's growl billows against her teeth, the promise of more, but before they can start tugging each other somewhere more private, Jamie perks up at the sound of Michael through the din, calling for them to approach.

"Bollocks," Jamie hisses against her cheek, but Dani only smiles and presses a modest kiss to the brunette's jaw.

"Can't keep your brother waiting."

"Why?" Jamie almost sounds petulant as her hand strays, plucking easily at the hem of Dani's dress. "We've done it before, haven't we?" 

Still, Jamie lets herself be dragged towards Michael, and Dani's incredibly pleased when, by the time they do reach him near the food stands, Jamie stays behind her and wraps an arm loosely around her stomach, keeping them close and almost flush together.

"Why've you been botherin' me?" Despite the words, Jamie's voice sounds entirely too amused as she sets her chin on Dani's shoulder, only shifting to take a drink before returning to her previous position.

"Well, James, figured you should know that Viola's gonna perform one act after ours," Michael explains. Dani feels Jamie tense, but with a gentle brush of fingers against the back of the hand pressed into her abdomen, the chest against her back sinks again. "We plan on stayin' the whole night, though, and jus' plug our ears through her setlist, so if you wanna avoid that _terrible_ brand of misery—" 

"M'sure I can find a way to occupy myself," Jamie answers with a mischievous whisper, and it's then that she subtly drives her hips forward into Dani's backside—

and Dani nearly balks at the press of something else nestled in Jamie's jeans that is most certainly _not_ the brunette's phone. 

"Dani and I will make ourselves scarce, drop by the motel for a bit, save ourselves that ungodly screechin'," Jamie adds sweetly, as if she hadn't just revealed to Dani what she's wearing underneath her trousers. As if Dani's mind isn't suddenly dizzy with what the night might bring. As if Dani's knees don't nearly buckle when another gentle press of Jamie's hips reminds her what she's capable of. 

Which is, without a doubt, turning Dani into putty before she's even done anything.

"Well, s'long as you come back," Michael, mercifully oblivious to Jamie's vague grinding that causes something white-hot to pool low in Dani's belly, responds with a tip of his head. "Ubers are really fuckin' expensive out here, y'know?" 

"I promise," Jamie relents with a sigh, scratching at Dani's stomach through the material of her dress. "Just give us a text when it's over and we'll be comin' right back."

"You better," Michael huffs before turning his gaze to Dani, who's still trying to collect the scraps of her consciousness from Jamie's teasing revelation. "Dani, please drag my sister back by the ear if you have to."

Jamie teasingly grinds against her again, and Dani feels something wet start to smear the insides of her underwear.

"Uh—"

"Yeah, Poppins," Jamie goads with another press, keeping their hips flush and allowing Dani to feel the length of the toy she's wearing against her ass. "You'll set me straight?" 

The only thing Dani can do is let out a _truly_ unattractive snort, followed by a petulant grumble, " _Straight_? Why would I even want you to be _straight_?" 

Both siblings let out a loud laugh at that, and Dani's grateful, really, that they at least find her _funny_ , but she's also ten seconds from dragging Jamie to the treeline so she can't exactly feel anything other than sheer, dripping, carnal frustration. 

"God, I like her, I truly do," Michael muses with a wide smile. 

"Yeah? I like her too," Jamie agrees, hugging Dani close but keeping their hips fused together, likely fully aware that Dani is slowly going delirious at the sensation.

It isn't until later, when Michael has wandered off, that Dani turns in Jamie's arms and deftly palms the length of the strap-on through the brunette's jeans, giving it a gentle shove and grinning when she feels a surprised puff billow across her lips. 

"You're just as bad as Owen," Dani teases, nipping sharply at Jamie's jaw.

" _Fuck_ —oh yeah? Why'sat?" 

"' _We'll be coming right back_?' Really, Jamie?" Dani gives another gentle press, delighting in the way Jamie shivers, before pulling her hand away before they start getting looks.

"I mean," Jamie mumbles, one brow arching high, "would you rather we didn't?" 

"Don't you dare," Dani whispers in return, leaning forward to kiss her.

— 🎸 —

The sight of Jamie on stage will never not ignite the blood pumping through Dani's veins. Even worse, or perhaps even better, is that— _now_ —she knows that Jamie wants her with just as much hunger, just as much passion, just as much longing, and Jamie makes it known when, even under the recklessness of the crowd surrounding the stage, her burning hazel eyes find Dani's and hold there, setting Dani's skin ablaze. 

Jamie's dressed in jeans that are cuffed at the ends, revealing a strip of skin before her ankles are crowded by the tops of her Doc Martens, but for all her trousers' surprising looseness for the night, the fronts are torn apart, ripped artfully from the thighs to the shins. Underneath a black leather jacket, her shirt is white and short, baring a midriff glistening with sweat that Dani can vividly remember the taste off, and Jamie seems to have pulled her hair back up into a loose bun, the same single coiled ringlet hanging between her eyebrows— _on purpose_ , Dani thinks, because Jamie is aware of how her muscles never fail to quiver at the sight. 

She's an absolute _vision_ , and Dani can't believe that they're together. Perhaps Lady Fortune has, indeed, decided to smile down on her for longer than a day: she's with Jamie Taylor, and the sheer reality of it sends her reeling with delight.

"It's been a while, Caesius," Jamie starts, smirking against the microphone, addressing the crowd with easy familiarity even as her eyes remain on Dani. "Missed us?" 

A great swell of hollers rise up around Dani, but she can barely hear them. She can only focus on the subtle puffs of breath floating from the speakers, amplifying Jamie's light, exhilarated panting.

"Yeah, 'course you did, you heathens," Jamie chuckles, and the low warmth of her voice sends a cocktail of affection and desire careening into Dani's body. "Don't lose near enough knickers when I'm not on stage, do ya?" 

The response is almost cacophonous, and Dani burns with pride at the way Jamie plays the crowd so easily, wrapping attention around her knuckles like rings glinting on her fingers. 

"Well, good thing I'm here to fix that," Jamie rasps, hitting several low notes on her guitar that might as well be the sound of sex, the way the notes whine, the way Jamie's hips pivot to amplify the sound. "Guys and gals and nonbinary pals, we're Jamie and the Poltergeists, here to start us off with a classic from the Runaways. Oh, and fellas?" 

An anticipatory silence shrouds the venue.

Jamie raises her chin high with pride and sends Dani a wink that makes her knees tremble. "Might wanna keep an eye on your ladies tonight. Heard this one drives 'em wild."

Rebecca starts the tune with Michael crashing a rhythmic beat on one of his cymbals, and—

Before the first verse can even start, Jamie lets out a low, breathy moan into the microphone, a gut-fluttering " _ah_ ", and Dani thinks she might as well come on the spot. Her reaction is almost immediate, back ramrod straight, thighs pressing together like heat might slip out of it if she so much as spreads them. 

Jamie seems to see this and _smirks_.

The sound still haunts Dani when Owen and Jamie finally join the melody with their strings, echoing between her ears as the intro finally gives way to the first verse.

" _You know when you're close you really turn me on,_  
 _That's why I want you so bad when you're gone, yeah!_  
 _Come on, come on and take me home,_  
 _Please stay with me and don't you leave me alone._

 _You drive me wild, yeah yeah,_  
 _You know you do, uh-huh._  
 _You drive me wild,_  
 _You know I need you._ "

And for every word that Jamie croons into the microphone, her eyes follow Dani as she leans closer against the barrier, fingers wrapping around the top to steady herself, because Jamie _knows_ what she's doing when she looks at Dani like that, knows the way Dani's stomach quivers when those hazel eyes, little more than a thin ring, sparks with suggestion. 

" _You're on my mind, always my one desire._  
 _Let's get together and build us a fire._  
 _Make me tremble, make me shake,_  
 _Pleasin' each other rockin' till daybreak._

 _You drive me wild, yeah yeah,_  
 _You know you do, uh-huh._  
 _You drive me wild,_  
 _You know I need you_."

Following a husked scream, Jamie steps back to do a run, and though her incredibly talented fingers skitter from one whined note to the next, body shifting to give each one credence, hips swaying to support the guitar as she almost folds into it to follow up each riff with another, Dani can't help but be reminded of just how talented they are, how each slide and press and flex can play her own body like an instrument, except the sound is her moaning—

Jamie's moaning. 

Jamie's _moaning_. 

Jamie's _moaning_ rhythmically into the microphone and Dani has never been so _fucking_ turned on in her life. 

And for each, insanely, impossibly attractive sound she makes against the microphone, Jamie keeps looking at Dani with the most insufferably cocky expression on her face that makes liquid heat sink into the depths of her gut before coiling between her legs wantonly, burning with need that's outright _begging_ to be addressed.

Jamie is _absolutely_ doing this on purpose. Dani knows she is, because her face shifts into something so deliciously wicked as Dani's knuckles turn white over the steel barrier, out-of-breath and sweating like her knees might buckle at any given moment.

" _You drive me wild, yeah yeah,_  
 _You know you do, uh-huh._  
 _You drive me wild,_  
 _You know I need you_."

Dani doesn't know how it's even possible, for Jamie's voice to be any more sensual on stage when she's quite literally _moaned_ Dani into an early grave, but it does as she sings, teeth flashing impishly with a crooked smirk that sears itself into the backs of Dani's eyelids. 

" _Don't hold off, do it, I need your lovin'._  
 _I'm getting so hot I'm cooking like an oven._  
 _My head is all filled with crazy thoughts,_  
 _Love like this just can't be bought._  
  
 _You drive me wild, yeah yeah,_  
 _You know you do, uh-huh._  
 _You drive me wild, oh yeah,_  
 _You know I need you._ "

Jamie finishes the song with a long, strung-out note that she carries into silence… until Michael starts a new, faster beat across his drum set, head banging as he manages to carry the beat with intensity. 

"Well, Caesius," Jamie chuckles into the microphone as he does so, eyes sweeping through the crowd before landing back on Dani, and Dani thinks there's even more of a delight shining in them, a breathlessness that burns under Jamie's familiar rasp. "Feelin' a little bold yet?" 

The way Jamie asks it is as if she's asking Dani, and, just to be sure, Dani offers an imperceptible nod towards the stage. 

She must be right, given Jamie's growing grin.

"Here's a song that's very special to me at the moment," Jamie continues with a drawl, eyebrow arching, as if she's putting out a dare. "Because Van Halen got it right, y'know. I'm hot for teacher."

If Dani's jaw isn't connected to the rest of her face, it might have hit the floor at that line. 

Jamie starts a new run on her guitar, fingers sweeping through the frets into a symphony of different short notes, leading the charge as Rebecca and Owen join in to support the melody.

" _T-t-teacher, stop that screaming;_  
 _Teacher, don't you see?_  
 _Don't wanna be no uptown fool._

 _Maybe I should go to hell,_  
 _But I am doin' well,_  
 _Teacher needs to see me after school._ "

Jamie's fingers sweep a melodic, descending tone, body swiveling to catch it, biceps flexing with each run that Dani absolutely cannot tear her eyes away from, not that she'd ever bother to try.

" _I think of all the education that I missed,_  
 _But then my homework was never quite like this._

 _Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,_  
 _I'm hot for teacher!_  
 _I got it bad, so bad,_  
 _I'm hot for teacher_."

Jamie twists and tosses her head as she performs another run before surging back forward to continue the song, a smile never leaving her face. Her tie is barely clinging onto her curls, growing loose with each motion, wild locks framing her face the way that Dani likes, the way that drives Dani _crazy_. 

" _I heard about your lessons,_  
 _But lessons are so cold._  
 _I know about this school._

 _Little girl from Cherry Lawn,_  
 _How can you be so bold?_  
 _How did you know that golden rule_?" 

Dani's body freezes when Jamie's eyes finally return to her. They're possessed by a wild, almost feral look that threatens to consume her, and Dani easily finds that she _wants_ to be consumed, to be devoured by those dark, burning, scorching depths.

" _I think of all the education that I missed,_  
 _But then my homework was never quite like this._

 _Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,_  
 _I'm hot for teacher!_  
 _I got it bad, so bad,_  
 _I'm hot for teacher_."

When Jamie gets into her next riff, it's as if she's made of electricity, a live wire of energy, hitting each note with enthusiasm and carrying them with every bend, bow, swivel, and jolt of her body, like she is her music incarnate, a visual representation of each whining chord she's rippling through the strings. 

" _I got it bad, got it bad, got it bad_  
 _I'm hot for teacher, oh!_  
 _Oh, yes, I'm hot_!" 

Jamie heralds the end of the song with an ascending run before crashing back down, only to immediately be met by a flurry of screaming, hollering, yelling, praising; the brunette straightens her back and beams at Dani—at Dani, eyes always on Dani, standing breathlessly in the crowd and realising that Jamie Taylor will, quite frankly, be the death of her. 

And, oh, what a _wonderful_ way to go that would be. 

— 🎸 —

When Dani finally sees Jamie shuffling through the crowd, they're already halfway through the next act.

Jamie is covered in a light sheen of sweat, hair mussed from earlier's performance, but it's the blazing hunger in her eyes that steals Dani's attention the most, rooting her to the spot until they're almost chest to chest.

"Well, Miss Clayton," Jamie husks, and Dani is certain her underwear is already spoiled, but the low tone of Jamie's voice gets her even wetter. "Any thoughts 'bout my performance up there?" 

Dani opens her mouth to speak, but then Jamie's leaning forward, pressing hot lips against her burning ears.

"Or should I give you one that's a little bit more private?" Jamie's hand comes around to squeeze at her ass, and Dani's hips jolt forward, pressing gloriously into Jamie's at the perfect angle that makes her choke back a gasp. "'Cause, you know, I'm really _eager_ to get a good mark from ya."

"That depends," Dani manages to whisper shakily, fingers coming up to clutch at the lapels of Jamie's jacket. With a flash of bravery, she grinds forward, watches as Jamie's throat bobs at the sensation. " _How_ eager?" 

When Jamie looks at her, her eyes are almost black.

"I can tell ya," Jamie starts, bucking back in return and causing Dani's eyelids to flutter shut. She feels lips dust against the line of her jaw, followed by a flash of teeth as Jamie rewards her with a gentle nibble. "Or I can show ya."

There's only one answer to that, really.

"Show me," Dani whispers, tugging Jamie closer by the belt loops. "Show me how."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the support, everyone! your comments on the previous chapter mean so much to me, i'm deadass so honoured and grateful for your patience and love 💚
> 
> i'm currently taking my time with this fic and the other fics, and i'm trying to do my best not to overthink any of them because, dear god, overthinking might actually be the death of me. we're just here to sit back, relax, and have fun with it, after all!
> 
> also, i will never get over jamie singing songs by the runaways. as the first band i ever listened to from that specific era, the runaways will always have a special place in my heart, so i thought it was only right to have jamie perform them on stage—to send dani completely bonkers, of course
> 
> anyways! we already had our smut lite, who's ready for some smut premium™ ✌️😌


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning: hella NSFW so, like, you know the drill fam 👉😎👉

Dani feels feverish.

Her skin is warm, her blood is boiling, and for every stoplight her and Jamie pause under on their way back to the motel, she feels even worse bit by bit. It's as if she's writhing in the flames of hell, caught in a febrile whirlwind of desire as the clock blinks mockingly on the dashboard, reminding her of all the minutes they're wasting driving back home when they could, most certainly, be having sex in the backseat of the van. Michael's van, she has to remind herself—it's Jamie's brother's van, and she'd like to keep it a relatively safe space outside of the other day's heavy groping if she can help it.

"Just a little more," she hears Jamie utter, and Dani tears her eyes away from the clock to look at the driver in question, lips curled in unabashed amusement as the brunette squints at the steady, red light overhead. "It's a peaceful night out, isn't it?"

"A peaceful... _yes_ , it's a peaceful—" Dani sucks a breath into her lungs when Jamie's hand lands on her thigh, just under the hem of her dress. Her reaction is almost immediate; her legs part ever so slightly, shoulders sinking into the back of the seat, eyebrows furrowing as she focuses on the way her entire body is already wavering at the simple, single touch. Even worse, still, is when Jamie teasingly dips her fingers between her legs, scratching mildly along her inner thighs and inching higher with each shaky, stuttered breath. " _Jamie_..."

"Oh, would ya look at that, light's green," Jamie exclaims gleefully, extracting the hand that had been about to cup the apex of her thighs, and Dani can't help but let out a high whine at the loss of sensation, hips bucking in an attempt to chase after it. "We're just a few minutes away, Dani. Will you be a good girl for me and keep your legs spread for me while we drive?"

The intoxicating combination of order and praise sends something warm and wet trickling down her gut, and Dani can do no further than comply, decorating the air with barely-concealed panting as she peels her knees apart. Without her thighs to shelter them, it becomes very obvious that her underwear has reached the point of ruin, wet and sopping from Jamie's torturous effort throughout the night, cooled by the regulated temperature of the van's interior. "Jamie, how long—"

"Take your underwear off, love."

Dani groans and complies, slowly slipping the garment down her legs.

"Put 'em in my pocket." The corners of Jamie's lips hitch up in a wicked expression of pride, and Dani wants nothing more than to keep seeing it flashing in the shadows of the evening. Slowly, Dani reaches over, balls the lace in one fist, and slides them into the side pocket of Jamie's jeans, her stomach clenching when she brushes against the telltale length of a strap-on nestled just a breath away from her grasp. "Hand out of my pocket, Dani."

With a soft noise of complaint, Dani withdraws her touch and settles back into her seat.

"Well? Why'd your legs close, then?" Jamie's eyes flicker once from the road to look pointedly at her knees, and Dani quickly brings them apart, hissing softly when cold air kisses the obvious dampness between her legs. "Good girl. Keep 'em like that until we get there, will you?"

"Yes, Jamie," Dani relents, because as torturous as this is, the pleasant flush that scatters across Jamie's cheeks is all the more enticing.

From there, it becomes almost a game: for every stoplight they hit, Jamie places a hand on Dani's knee, slowly inching higher and higher for every five seconds they wait, never more and never less. The teasing is almost excruciating, but all the more enjoyable, fingertips dancing along her inner thighs in mocking patterns as Jamie shifts, removes, drives, then starts again. By the time they do arrive at the motel, Dani feels like she might be going mad, nails burying into the heels of her palms as her clit throbs with fierce anticipation.

It turns out, Jamie's none the calmer, because as soon as they close the door behind them, Dani's gasping as Jamie immediately starts marching her towards the bed, bending her over the side and pressing her torso gently against the mattress.

"How badly do you want me inside ya?" Jamie's question is husked against the back of her ear, sinful in every way, and Dani can only choke out a ragged sound when Jamie bucks her hips forward, pressing the length of the toy straining inside her trousers against Dani's ass.

"Badly," Dani whimpers, shifting her legs, rubbing her thighs together as she feels Jamie slowly ruck the hem of her dress up, inch by delicious, torturous inch. "I want you _now_ , Jamie, _please_ —" 

" _Fuck_ , I love how badly you want me," Jamie chuckles, the low rasp sending warmth spilling between Dani's legs. Another buck of her hips, another insistent press, and Dani thinks she might just start _sobbing_ , desperate to feel Jamie filling her. "You were so ready, I thought you would've wanted me to take you right then and there." 

"Fuck, _Jamie_ —" 

"And, y'know, maybe they all could've watched," Jamie continues, teeth sinking into the lobe of Dani's ear and tugging, and Dani's knees nearly give out when she feels Jamie grinding hard against her, reminding her what she can give. "Let 'em see how _good_ I fuck you, how much you _beg_ for me to make you come."

" _Jamie_ —"

"Maybe I wouldn't have _wanted_ you quiet," Jamie interrupts, fingers gently tracing up and down the back of her thighs, and Dani's cunt trembles in anticipation, heart almost rattling in her chest at the speed it's sprinting when the touch lingers close to her entrance, sweeping idly at the gathered wetness there. "Maybe I would've wanted you _screamin_ ' my name for everyone to hear. Maybe I would've wanted them to hear the way I make you come—once, twice, thrice, maybe six times if you fancy." 

"God, Jamie," Dani pleads breathlessly, knees finally buckling, and she'd be on the floor if she isn't bent over the edge of the bed like this, arms stretched out and trying desperately not to claw into the covers. "Jamie, _please_ , just stop teasing—" 

"Oh, but I love how hot and bothered you get," Jamie laughs, even as Dani hears the sound of metal scraping lightly against metal, an opened zipper, a rustle of fabric, and Dani _shivers_. "Maybe I won't let you come after all. Maybe I can just edge ya, as many times as I can, until you're sobbin' for me." 

The head of Jamie's length brushes teasingly against her centre before dipping low, slotting into the space at the apex of her thighs and rubbing its length across Dani's clit. _Immediately_ , Dani's body arches into it, grinds down as the length fucks leisurely into the perfect, snug spot underneath her groin and above the curves of her thighs.

"Or maybe I _do_ let you come," Jamie suggests; she's leaned forward now, chest pressed against Dani's back, and a hand snakes out to sink into hair and pull her head to the side, exposing the side of her neck. Dani's eyes roll to the back of her head when Jamie sucks at the newly revealed skin, thrusting slowly against her clit. "I let you come, but I never let ya stop, until you can't even stand on your own two feet anymore."

And, _Jesus Christ_ , she knows Jamie likes talking dirty, but this is entirely new altogether, and Dani's body _burns_.

"Jamie, _fuck_ , please—" 

"You drive me wild," Jamie growls against her skin, and each slide of her hips presses so deliciously against Dani's clit, ridges catching on its hood with each pass and making Dani see stars in the edges of her vision. " _God_ , Dani, the way you _whine_. Will you be a good girl for me?" 

"Yes," Dani only barely manages to whisper out, heat coursing through her veins at Jamie's praise, and then the length is slipping away from her thighs. She opens her mouth to ask, maybe even beg for it back, but before she can, she hears Jamie sink to her knees, and suddenly there's—"God, Jamie, _right there_!" 

She feels Jamie's face pull away from her, and then a sharp bite is delivered onto an ass cheek, pointed and reprimanding and _impossibly_ pleasurable. "You really want the neighbours to hear, don't ya?" Another bite, and Dani's entire body trembles. "Hand over your mouth, pretty girl. You'll need it."

" _Yes, Jamie_ ," she chokes out, obediently slipping a palm over her lips and pressing down. When she does, Jamie licks another long, searing stripe through her folds, and her hips buck on reflex, grinding against Jamie's tongue as it slips back down to her clit and circles it.

Want flutters sharply in Dani's stomach at the sensation, matching each pattern with a press of her own, groaning into her palm when Jamie's lashes turn more insistent, firmer against the sensitive nub and sending Dani's legs clenching. She's already so close, a product of the brunette's earlier teasing, her moaned performance, and her filthy mouth, and Dani surges for the precipice eagerly, wanting to feel herself unravel under Jamie's tongue. 

But then Jamie pulls away, and Dani almost cries out at the loss of sensation. 

"Jamie, wh—" 

Jamie leans forward, collapsing against her back, and Dani writhes when the tip presses and prods against her cunt, shifting and rolling until it slides down to her clit. 

"Jesus, you're so fuckin' _eager_ for me to make you come," comes Jamie's rough growl, sucking a mark low on the back of Dani's shoulder and causing Dani's hips to buck. "Hands higher on the bed, Dani."

Dani complies, reaching out until her arms are stretched as far as they can before sinking into the duvet, groaning when she's rewarded by another delicious slide against her clit.

"God, the fact that you look like that, puttin' angels to shame," Jamie hisses, and Dani hears the rattle of the end-table drawer, the rip of foil, followed by a slick, wet sound—imagines Jamie lathering the lubricant along her powder-green length, pumping slowly. The image alone nearly sends her mind stuttering with sheer want, the insistent flutter of her cunt a testament to her desire. "Then you bend over and stretch out for me like the obedient girl you are. Fuckin' drives me mad. You drive me mad, love."

The tip inches into her centre, and Dani's entire body outright melts at the sensation, goosebumps rising across every inch of skin as Jamie sinks herself into her heat.

"M'gonna fuck you so hard you can't even remember your own name," Jamie promises across her skin, nibbling up and down the line of Dani's shoulder and causing her to throw her head back, mouth falling open because nothing in the world can ever feel as right, as _freeing_ , as being with Jamie. "Only mine. The only thing you'll even have the capacity to cry out is my name."

" _Jamie_ —"

"See? You're learnin' already." Jamie's hips draw back before snapping forward, driving Dani harder into the mattress, and the feel of Jamie's length finally sheathing itself between her walls is like completion, the way her aching heat flutters to hold it inside. "Say my name again."

" _Jamie_ …"

Another rewarding pump, an intoxicating cocktail of pain and pleasure, as she accommodates Jamie's ministrations, heat spilling between her legs around it as Dani groans to vocalise her pleasure, body shuddering in delight as her hips thrust back in response.

" _Jamie_ ," she whines out as Jamie gives her another deliciously slow thrust, the kind that has Dani's eyes rolling to the back of her head. "Jamie— _fuck_ —can you put your hand over my mouth, please?"

" _Christ_ , pleadin' so sweetly even when I fuck you like this." Jamie presses a kiss to her shoulder, a sharp contrast to the building cadence of Jamie's hips. "Of course, baby, of course."

Jamie slips one hand around, presses a palm against Dani's lips, leaving her own to freely bury into the material of the duvet underneath her, anchoring her in place as each hard snap of Jamie's hips jostles her forward. Jamie's other hand, however, also moves: from its place on Dani's shoulder, it slips around to wrap lightly around her throat and—

Dani lets out a low moan smothered into a calloused palm, hips bucking back into Jamie's, wetness multiplying as the slightest bit of pressure wraps around the sides of her neck before releasing. 

And then Jamie's hand falls away again, scratching delicately at her shoulder even when Jamie's building pumps are driving her increasingly out of control.

"Not yet," Jamie murmurs, depositing another mild kiss to the side of Dani's neck and causing her heart to swell. "Not when I've got my palm on your mouth like this. Too dangerous."

Through the tight coil building in Dani's stomach, her heart crests at the consideration that Jamie never fails to show her, emotion permeating even their lust-addled states to remind her how much Jamie cares, how much she's always cared.

"Someday," Jamie groans, face burying into the middle of Dani's back as she delivers another deep thrust that sends Dani huffing out a fluttering, delighted breath, "I've still got a lot of things I'd love to try with you."

And, with the promise of that lingering in the air, Jamie's pace picks up, length pressing against the depths of Dani's heat, ridges catching against her walls as Jamie's free hand traces down her back before delivering a moderate slap to her ass and—

The sharp sting of pain, the sound of skin on skin, causes Dani to _tremble_ , struggling to meet each of Jamie's pumps from her position but revelling in it all the same, wanting Jamie to fuck her within an inch of her _life_.

"Dani," Jamie growls against her skin, and Dani can only offer a stifled moan in response when the way Jamie says her name sends desire sweeping through her body in thick rivulets of heat, "You feel so fuckin' _good_ takin' me like this, love. Think I won't edge ya tonight. Think I just want to make you feel good."

Each of Jamie's thrusts turn faster, _deeper_ , the sound of the bedframe squeaking and their hips slapping together and Dani's own muffled whines filling the air, and Dani's so, _deliriously_ close that when Jamie leans up to nibble at her the top of her ear, she comes with a muted cry, sinking teeth into Jamie's palm to keep the desperate sob at the back of her throat when her walls clench impossibly tight around Jamie's length, a length that continues thrusting at a jarringly rapid pace despite the resistance. 

" _Again_ ," Jamie demands, shifting up and off of Dani's back, hands moving to grab at Dani's hips and pull her into each, delicious thrust. Dani curls an elbow under her head to look over her shoulder, marvelling at the sight of Jamie's concentration, brows furrowed and lower lip between her teeth, staring down at where their hips meet and sending desire spiralling in Dani's gut with renewed intensity. " _Jesus fuck_ , Dani, the way you look, arse out and takin' all of me like this."

Dani moves her other hand closer to her face, sinks her teeth into her knuckles with a choked groan as Jamie draws her hips back slow before shoving back in, walls squeezing around the dizzying repetition. Even better is when Jamie throws her head back, luxuriating in the sensation the harness must be giving her, arms slipping down to wrap fully around Dani's waist and lift her closer, feet almost _completely_ leaving the ground. 

"God, _Jamie_ ," she manages to stutter out, thighs trembling as Jamie holds her close, _pounds_ into her with a ferocity that sends the skin on her backside red and stinging. Something hot and liquid churns in the base of her gut, spiralling tighter and tighter, and she clenches around the sensation because this, _this_ , she wants this with a borderline hunger. "God, Jamie, _faster_."

"Jesus, Poppins, _faster_?"

" _Please_ ," she begs, feeling her entire body tighten around the way Jamie thrusts into her, the way it picks up with each deep press until she can almost hear the way Jamie's length slides inside her, until she's throwing her head back and lets herself be fucked so rigorously, so _punishingly_ like this. " _Fuck_ , Jamie, just like that."

Her body isn't even her own anymore, she can barely feel anything except for how Jamie's ramming into her, pulling her body close to meet each relentless thrust that sends pleasure crackling against every nerve ending. All she wants is to feel Jamie inside her, over and over and over again, until she's crashing into the heavens, because every time she stands with her toes hanging off of the edge, it feels more like she's falling into the sky above than the ground below.

So she holds onto her release, keeping it at bay, fingers bone-white around the sheets as Jamie's hips never stutter, never falter, driving into her with the kind of fury that makes her ache with the desire for release but long for the sweet torture of holding on. She twists her ankles together and lets her body loosen, losing herself into every violent cant of Jamie's hips against hers, trembling harder and harder against the sensation the closer she gets to her inevitable fall.

Dani sucks in a shaky breath, buries her face into the mattress, and focuses for as long as she can despite the waves of pleasure threatening to crash against her. Her cunt is already clenching in preparation for the leap, tighter and tighter against each of Jamie's thrusts, but she whispers, " _Just a little more, god, Jamie, fuck_ ," and groans when it encourages Jamie to drop her back onto the mattresses, biceps framing either side of her hips to fuck her _into_ it.

"Fuck, Dani, you're doin' so good," comes the brunette's whisper, coiling around her like wisps of smoke, each word causing her body to begin its inevitable release, unravelling inch by inch until she's barely connected at the seams. Still, she lingers at the precipice, stifling choked moans into the covers as her body begins to combust, skin catching embers like kindling when she feels Jamie lean closer and start sweeping kisses across her back, finally culminating in teeth sinking into the crook of her neck with a growled command, "Come for me, love."

And so Dani does, having to slap a hand against her mouth and bite deep into her palm as every fibre of her being is gloriously set ablaze in complete and utter ecstasy, shifting and writhing in Jamie's grasp for every cant of the brunette's hips, bucking her harder and harder against the mattress—until Jamie is pushing her _higher_ along the surface, inching her forward with each persistent thrust.

"Turn around," Jamie growls, following her up onto the seat and slipping out. With a choked whine, body still singing with her orgasm, Dani complies and watches as Jamie crawls over her body, higher until the toy is pressing against Dani's jaw, slick and shining and slippery and _wet_. "Clean it for me, Dani. Make me feel good, and then I'm makin' you come a third time."

Dani groans, hands fluttering to Jamie's hips and holding her close as she fits her mouth over the tip, toes curling at her own taste. She works her way down its length, lathering it with spit as she goes, daring a look back up and watching as Jamie's jaw goes slack, chest a brilliant red and eyes burning at the sight.

For all her actions, Jamie hasn't come, holding back her own orgasm in favour of making Dani feel good, and Dani thinks that won't do. 

Tightening her grasp, she drives her mouth forward, pushing past the barrier of her own throat and digging crescents into Jamie's skin with her nails, holding her breath as Jamie's hips stutter forward involuntarily and slips the tip past the back of her mouth. 

" _Jesus_ ," Jamie hisses, one hand dipping to thread into Dani's hair, and Dani has to stifle a moan when she uses the grasp to pull her head up and down her length. "Jesus Christ, Dani, _fuck_ —" 

Dani pulls away from the length, reaching up to work on its buckles, nosing underneath and letting its wetness stick along her cheek. "As novel as this is, and I'd love to see more of this," Dani starts with a low hum, unclasping the harness' latches and grinning when Jamie lets her, hips thrusting idly up the side of her face, "you're gonna take your jeans off, and you're gonna let me eat you out."

" _Fuck_ ," Jamie chokes out, and then she's helping Dani pull the harness off, shifting around excitedly until both it, her trousers, and her boxers are scattered across the motel floor. With a soft gasp, Jamie crawls up higher, and Dani finally mouths past brunette curls, moaning softly when Jamie's taste all but _explodes_ in her mouth. "Christ, _Dani_ , you'll be the death of me."

Dani can only hum, flattening her tongue and gripping Jamie's thighs tighter around her face, her own hips bucking in the air as Jamie grinds down onto her, setting a brisk pace that lets Dani know she's close already—but no, one won't be enough, not tonight, not when she's spent the past few hours nearly _salivating_ as Jamie's hips made love to her guitar with each note.

She latches on when Jamie comes, watching as Jamie's body flexes like a bowstring, head tossed back with rapture before jerking when Dani sucks a burning clit into her mouth, hard and insistent, reaching up under her shirt and bra to palm both breasts and tug at pebbled nipples teasingly. 

" _Shit_ , Dani, are you—" Dani watches with carnal fascination as Jamie throws a hand over her own mouth, face contorting into a silent cry until she's riding again, hips undulating with every wet stripe Dani paints across her folds, brows nearly pulled together as her thighs press hard against Dani's ears. "Fuck, Dani, shit, shit, _shit_ —" 

For every mouthful of wetness Dani gathers with her tongue, more are spilling to replace it, and she laps it up greedily, nails carving down Jamie's sides and revelling in the way the brunette whimpers sharply in response, both hands gathering fistfuls of Dani's hair by the roots until she's pulling, yanking, tugging, _fucking_ herself on Dani's tongue. 

She loves the way Jamie's hips stutter against her mouth, the way Jamie gives herself by taking all the pleasure she can, the way Jamie's cunt doesn't always stay on her mouth, the way it smears against Dani's cheeks, her chin, her jaw. Dani doubts she'll ever get enough of it.

" _Dani_ ," Jamie calls out, and Dani moves her gaze up and meets the hazel eyes bearing down on her, a cocktail of warmth and lust that urges Dani to double her ministrations, sucking at the skin around Jamie's folds before pressing her tongue back up to a burning clit. " _Fuck_ , Dani, I—shit, _shit_ , you mean so much to me."

Even now, _even now_ , in the throes of ecstasy, Jamie coming a second time against her tongue, Jamie pins her with an endearing gaze that makes Dani's heart expand in her chest, pressing against her ribs and trying to push them outwards, like her body isn't enough to contain the weight of the feelings she has for the brunette grinding down on her. 

With a shaky groan, Jamie crawls off of her, pulling Dani up until their lips are crashing together, until Dani's lips swell up under the ferocity of Jamie's kiss, tongue surging into her mouth until Dani's whining, sighing, tangling around her with intoxicated desire.

"Fingers or tongue for the next one," Jamie asks against her teeth, righting Dani until she's seated properly with Jamie settling on the floor in front of her. "Or both?" 

"Tongue," Dani answers immediately, because for the two orgasms she's had already, she yearns to have Jamie's mouth on her, almost _desperate_ for it. " _God_ , Jamie, I want your mouth."

Jamie growls her assent before spreading Dani's legs so wide that it's almost _obscene_ , open and dripping as Jamie eyes her cunt hungrily. Her rough hands start moving in, tracing a calloused path up her inner thighs, and Dani shivers into the hot breaths puffing against her centre, warmth welling between her folds in anticipation.

"I want you," she manages to whine out, curling a knuckle back between her teeth when Jamie dusts kisses up her inner thighs, sweet little things that leave patches of warmth, equal parts endearing and immolating. "Jamie, I want you."

"I want you too, Dani," and with that confession, Jamie finally circles her clit with the tip of her tongue, and Dani's hips immediately buck into it. "Fast or slow?" 

"Slow," Dani chokes out through another tight, leisurely circle, her skin burning up when Jamie hums delightedly against her. "Take me slow."

Jamie groans, flattens her tongue, and laps up lazily through her folds, making an insistent press against her weeping centre and causing her stomach to quiver. "Y'know, I've never been much for prayer," Jamie mumbles against her curls, licking deep and hard against where she's sensitive until she's licking shivering delightedly, "but I think I'd quite like to spend the rest of my life on my knees, between your thighs, like this." 

Dani reaches out, curling a hand around the back of Jamie's neck and scratching gently under her curls, loving the way Jamie's eyes flutter shut. "Me too," Dani whispers between the stilling air between them, "Me on my knees for you, I mean, though I don't have any problems with this arrangement, either."

"'Course you don't," Jamie chuckles, the tip of her nose tracing down her folds before licking back up again, and Dani's thighs start trembling both from the sensation, and from the treacle-thick look Jamie gives her. "Have you seen me? I'm _practically_ a sex god."

"And _modest_ too," Dani teases lightly, lips easing into a soft, open-mouthed smile as Jamie sucks her clit into her mouth, bucking as pleasure ricochets up and down her spine. "A shining beacon of humility."

"Just bein' honest," Jamie mouths against her, tongue sweeping down to trace around her cunt, slipping inside, noncommittal but letting Dani ride her tongue nevertheless, letting it thrust as deep as it can reach before moving back up again. "Ya like when I've got a big ego anyway." 

"God, I do," Dani confesses in response, throwing one arm behind her to prop herself up before sinking her fingers into Jamie's hair and finally throwing her head back. "I really do."

They don't talk much after that, Jamie too busy licking slow circles around Dani's hardened clit and Dani too busy muffling her own, rapturous cries by chewing on her lower lip, hips eagerly matching Jamie's lethargic pace as it laps fully through her folds.

When she comes, it's all the more despite the slow pace, thighs clenching shut around Jamie's ears as Jamie wraps her swollen lips around her clit and _sucks_ , before pressing her tongue against it and lets her ride out her orgasm, body ignited by the pleasure of falling—falling, _controlled_ , into Jamie's touch that picks up, presses _fully_ , starts lapping at her with hunger.

"Jamie, _I can't_ —" 

"One more," Jamie pleads sweetly, and Dani's breath billows out in a sharp breath when she feels fingers finally ghost across her entrance, tracing the outline tentatively until she's bucking into the touch, growing desperate to feel those digits fluttering inside her still-trembling cunt. "One more, baby, last one, you can take it."

The first finger slips in, and Dani feels herself clench around it immediately, hungry and greedy and glutinous all the same as Jamie curls it and presses into her front wall, causing Dani to gasp and cant her hips wantonly.

"Keep being good for me," Jamie repeats, sucking an already-sensitive clit into her mouth and Dani's entire body jerks, a sharp cry slipping out between her teeth before she can stop it. "Push through it, love, push through it, show me you can."

And each lap is too much, _too soon_ , but her thighs spread open anyway, wanting as much as Jamie can give, giving as much as Jamie can want, until Dani's toeing the line past sensitivity and back into desire, feeling her clit shy away from the brisk pace of her tongue, then _hunger_ for it all at once.

"I can," Dani acquiesces, halfway through a garbled moan as her hips move on their own, entirely involuntary as she chases after Jamie's mouth, the loving way it wraps around her and sucks again, the way her stomach is already tightening in anticipation. "Jamie, I—fuck, _Jamie_ , make me come again."

"That's my girl," Jamie husks, and then another finger is slipping into her, scratching into her, pumping into her, and Dani wants nothing more than for Jamie to keep sheathing herself into Dani's heat, the way her fingers come-hither against her walls, hitting that delicious spot that sends her body clenching, her eyes fluttering, her mouth parting to accommodate her loud pants. "That's right, baby, you're almost there, aren't you?"

Dani can barely breathe past the own, low sounds she's making, inhibitions all but shattered as she grinds into Jamie's touch, the last of her sensitivity tapering away to be replaced by white-hot want. "I'm close," she manages to stammer out, tongue curling into a silent cry as Jamie speeds up, fingers fucking into her until all she can do is to hold her hips up and _receive_ it, thighs threatening to clamp shut. "God, Jamie, I'm so close—" 

Another finger slips into her, curls, thrusts with an _audible_ slickness, a ringing wet sound that haunts the way Jamie's pounding into her with her touch, and Dani would be embarrassed if she isn't actively encouraging it, whispering, "Yes, _Jamie_ , faster, god, _faster_ , I'm there, I'm _there_ , please—" 

"That's good, now come for me, baby," Jamie whispers against her, and then Dani's swept away by her fourth orgasm, back arching as her elbow threatens to give under her weight, the other hand tightening into Jamie's hair as she continues pumping into her through her climax. Her leg muscles start spasming as her walls continue to tighten, drawn out further and further, _fucking_ herself right back into Jamie's touch because she doesn't want the pleasure to end until—" _Holy shit_ , Dani, are you—?" 

Dani can only nod, not trusting her voice as she chases after her climax until it consumes her again so soon after the last, body moving forward until she's on the very edge of the bed, _riding_ Jamie's fingers and tongue like her very life depends on it, body convulsing like it never has before, rattling deep into her bones as her consciousness is devoured by only rapture, only ecstasy, only _Jamie_ eagerly carrying her through the sudden but entirely welcome fifth orgasm, teeth sinking almost painfully into her lower lip to keep from sobbing out.

She finally shivers away from Jamie's touch, collapsing back into the bed, and her legs are _trembling_ , muscles jumping in rapid succession from her crashing descent that she can feel herself rattling when Jamie's palm covers her thigh lightly.

" _Jesus_ ," Jamie whispers breathlessly, pressing a last kiss to Dani's hip before surging up to lie down next to her. "Fuck, Dani, that was— _god_ , you're a vision."

"Really," Dani manages to murmur out wetly, laughing despite the sudden thickness in her voice. She keeps her legs spread, the slightest jostle causing her sensitive clit to jump, but she twists nevertheless, meeting Jamie's lips and depositing a sweet kiss there. "Because I feel like I'm about to collapse right now."

"Tuck into me then," Jamie encourages, raising an arm to encourage her to cuddle close, and Dani sinks into her side gratefully, although her attempts of holding back a soft whimper fail when her entrance blooms with a deep, well-fucked ache. " _Shit_ , was I too rough? I'm sorry, love, I should've—" 

" _No_ ," Dani interrupts immediately, taking Jamie's other hand and placing it onto her _quivering_ thigh, pressing it there with her own. " _This_? This is good. This is _very_ good. I want to keep doing this, just—" 

"A little rest?" Jamie provides hopefully, and Dani laughs quietly.

"Yeah, please," she says, sniffling, and it's only then she registers that she's been crying. She doesn't remember when it had started, but just as quickly as the realisation comes, Jamie swoops in, brushing the tears away with her lips. " _Mm_. Thank you."

"No, thank _you_ ," Jamie murmurs against her cheek. "For the first night. For lettin' me keep seein' ya. For lettin' me bring you here. For stayin'. For this."

Dani can only snort, feigning a pout until Jamie's covering her face in sweet kisses. "You're kinda irresistible, can you blame me?" 

"So are you, Dani." Jamie captures her mouth again, nibbles lightly along her lower lip.

With that, Dani finally gets comfortable in Jamie's arms, humming pleasantly when Jamie resumes pressing butterfly kisses across her face. She doubts she'll be able to even stand up for the next hour or so, but that's alright with her.

Especially when Jamie's fussing over her like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl this is just sheer filth and i'm a little embarrassed to be publishing this but Oh Whale 🐳
> 
> y'all wanted Smut Premium™, i give you Smut Premium™
> 
> but also some softness at the end because how could i not when them being soft lives in my head rent-free?
> 
> i love you all so much, this fandom is such a special thing to me. this time last year, i never would've imagined i'd get back into writing again, but here we are, with several fics we're working on (i'm trying my best to get to the others dhsjhds it's just—head empty, only rocker jamie but i promise i'm trying my best) and a couple more in the drawing board waiting fruition (because i have no self-control either but i am equally as excited over them).
> 
> so, like, massive thank you to all the readers out there, and all the writers who inspire me to create as well! deadass i would not be here if not for bly and not for this fandom. revived me straight out of a writing slump i've been in for years! idk what i did to deserve all of you here but i'm super grateful 🥰
> 
> this has not been proofread because my brain is just disengaging at this point but hdjshsjs i hope this was okay!!
> 
> oh, by the way, i totally came back to twitter so 👀 if anyone wants to interact on there, i'm  
> @lexasperated!
> 
> anyway. much love to everyone. i'm always so honoured that you guys are sticking around through this mess while i try to figure out ✨how plotting works✨ and how to do it. i love you all. please wash your hands, wear your masks, and stay safe! 
> 
> ✌️😌


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs:  
> 🎸 we're not gonna take it - twisted sister

Between the pleasant ache blooming at the apex of Dani’s thighs and Jamie’s sweet, endearing insistence that she should rest, it takes them a while to collect themselves, taking shelter in the quiet night, whispering in the shadowless dark of their motel room.

As always, Jamie is incredibly patient and considerate, tending to Dani’s needs as she attempts to recover some semblance of rigidity from a state of absolute bonelessness. It warms Dani’s heart to be fussed over like this—like there’s more to it than just the pleasure, the fire, the lust in the heat of the moment. Even as she lies on her back, dress hitched up to her stomach, she feels comfortable, Jamie settled into her side and scratching lightly up and down her inner thigh to soothe the throbbing there until she can, instead, focus on the way her skin erupts in goosebumps at the sensation.

Jamie’s lips are warm and fleeting across her skin, mist-like as another is brushed across the curve of her jaw when she finally manages to sit up.

“You did so good,” Jamie whispers, pressing kiss after kiss, still, across the rise of her cheeks and down the slope of her chin, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake that Dani can’t help but luxuriate in. “How’re you feelin’, Dani?”

“Like I’d rather stay in this bed with you,” she admits quietly, tugging softly at the collar of Jamie’s shirt until their lips are meeting, touching, sliding together harmlessly. Jamie’s soft puff of breath billows across her face, warm against her flushed skin, and she honestly would want nothing more than to spend the rest of her night like this. “But we promised your brother we’d be back.”

Jamie groans softly against her cheek at the reminder. “Unfortunately.” The brunette’s touch shifts higher, lingering on the crease where her hips spill out to her upper thighs, scratching tenderly. “Can always carry you back to the van, if ya want.”

“I can walk,” she laughs against pouting lips, grinning when the expression persists, “but I’m touched by the offer.”

They take twenty more minutes to get themselves sorted out, Jamie sweeping across their combined luggage to produce new underwear, given the delightfully soiled states that their previous ones are in.

Like the first morning they’d spent together, Jamie helps Dani ease the underwear up her legs, and when it’s done, Dani can’t help but kiss her again—kiss her always—because she’s never quite felt as cared for as she does now, and it sends her pulse skittering under her skin like it might actually come alive.

They spend another five minutes with Dani changing into a more comfortable shirt-and-jeans combo, trying to fix her sex-mussed hair, and Jamie in the bathroom cleaning the strap-on that they’ve all but nearly forgotten about. They keep the door open to stare at each other from across the threshold, flashing smiles softer than sin, happy enough to go about their singular businesses in each other’s presence.

In the end, they don’t arrive back at the venue until almost a quarter before eleven, pace slow as they walk from the car park to the treeline to the clearing, where the festivities seem to have erupted into spontaneous dancing and incessant drinking, bodies grinding together in thick waves as the speakers give way to more fast-paced songs as the lights on the stage finally dim.

They find the rest of the band tucked in the far corner of the venue, collapsed on upturned crates and sharing a bottle of something dark and strong between them.

“Hey, look who’s decided to—” Owen stops for effect, moustache twitching amusedly, “—turn up to the party!”

“Jesus, mate, I just got here and I’m already tempted to leave again,” Jamie teases back, sitting on the ground with her back pressed against a log. “Sit with me, Dani?”

It’s not like Dani would ever want to deny her, so she does, trying to hold back an uncomfortable wince as she lowers herself into the space between Jamie’s legs. It’s clear that Jamie notices, however, because as soon as she settles on the ground, the brunette’s arms are shifting forward to wrap around her waist, keeping her close, face burying between her shoulder blades.

“M’gonna make sure we don’t have to be anywhere else when we do that again,” Jamie slurs against the material of her shirt embarrassedly, and Dani warms at the softness there, the care there, sinking gratefully into Jamie’s embrace. “If you want to, y’know, do it again, that is.”

“Of course I do,” she reassures softly, humming with delight when Jamie finally moves up to hitch a chin above her shoulder, cheek to cheek with only a mixed curtain of brown and blonde hair between them. “Definitely a lot more of that.”

The late evening passes by at an almost leisurely pace, drinks passed between hands so often that it doesn’t settle too heavily on anyone, providing at most a light buzz that makes laughing come easier. Jamie doesn’t shift often behind her, and while Dani worries that the brunette might be getting uncomfortable bearing her weight like this, she’s also entirely grateful of the lack of movement, for each gentle shift still causes the flesh between her legs to throb—and it’s not like it’s all pain, either; there’s a pleasurable pulse to it, and Dani would rather not try to jump Jamie’s bones so soon after they’ve just finished.

Lady Fortune has certainly smiled down on her: Dani is, perhaps, the happiest she’s ever been in a while. She’s in the company of a woman she’s very quickly falling for at an almost unapologetic pace, as well as friends who accept her without judgement and without consequence, as if they had simply been waiting for her to come, as if they had simply been waiting for her to find them.

Lady Fortune has smiled down on her—and then, almost on a dime, decides to throw a bump in the road.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom, okay?”

Dani twists around from where she’s settled in Jamie’s embrace, pressing a kiss against the brunette’s chin before making a move to stand, only to stop when she feels Jamie shifting with her.

“Here, let me—”

“Jamie,” she chides gently, laughing under her breath when the look Jamie flashes her can only be described as concerned. She’s touched, really, and she makes it known when she leans forward and sweeps a kiss up the angular line of Jamie’s jawline, revelling when the brunette slowly tosses her head to the side to give her access. “It’s okay. Get comfortable. It’ll only take a minute.”

Jamie huffs but acquiesces, because she’s never been the type to push—not even like this, when Jamie is obviously trying to provide her as much care as she could possibly need after their encounter.

“Okay,” Jamie sighs, letting her rise to her feet but capturing her hand before she goes, pressing a fleeting kiss across her knuckles like it might be farewell. “Don’t take long, okay?”

Dani’s heart takes flight at that.

The smile lingers on her face as she sets off to find the restroom of the venue, hands slipping into the pockets of her jeans as she goes, and it doesn’t take long for her to find her destination. There’s a line, because of course there is, and she quickly queues behind the last person idling with a cigarette trapped between their lips, satisfied enough to wait until her turn comes up.

She’s only two people away from the entrance of the restroom, however, when she feels another person looming over her shoulder. For a fleeting moment, Dani just assumes that it’s another patron eager to peruse the premises like her, but when she hears the soft, sardonic puff of laughter just a few inches shy of her ear, Dani’s stomach _drops_.

“You’re still here?”

Slowly, Dani finds herself turning on her heel, jaw snapping shut until she finds herself face to face with Viola Lloyd.

Up close, it’s clear that this woman is much older than her or even Jamie, but nevertheless insanely beautiful. With dark hair, brilliant brown eyes, and full lips, Dani wouldn’t even hesitate to call her pretty—if the woman isn’t looking at her with such a steely contempt that it’s almost palpable, itching between Dani’s teeth until she feels her entire body prickling with discomfort. It’s like being finely observed by someone who can absolutely tear her life apart which, after what the band has told her, might be a very real possibility.

“Viola, right?” Dani resorts to passing niceties, flashing the woman a wan smile and throwing her hands behind her back to hide the way her fingers are already clenching and unclenching tightly together. “Yeah, we aren’t leaving until much later, I think?”

“Really? Because I seem to remember not seeing Jamie for the past few hours,” comes the woman’s testing observation, eyebrow arching high on her head. “Now that I think about it,” Viola adds, as if Dani is little more than an afterthought to Jamie’s story, “I’m afraid I didn’t see much of you within that same timeframe, either.”

“Well—”

“Ah, you were with her, weren't you?” Dani immediately balks at the wicked flash of a grin Viola’s giving her, so thinly-veiled of its frigidity that she feels ice beginning to form in her veins. “You know, I’ve always assumed Jamie would be that kind of rockstar. Something about her screams 80’s, you know? I heard she’s been trying to turn her life around these past years, but old habits do die hard.”

“What—”

Again, Viola interrupts her with a soft tut, shaking her head and looking to the heavens as if she might find resolution there. “Oh, you should have seen her back then. Quite a rascal, your Jamie. She had such a life to her, you know, trying so many new things with me, and I was naturally very eager to accommodate her. How could I not?” Already, the ice turns brackish, pumping through her body almost painfully like she's one, massive flesh wound. “Attractive young woman, she was, and so very angry at the world. It helped her image, I think; plenty of women certainly found a certain charm to a rockstar who cared little about who they were, only what they could take.”

“She _isn't_ —”

“How far she’s fallen from that image,” Viola jumps back in, smiling like she knows she isn’t letting Dani butt in, straightening her spine and tipping her head to the side. “It’ll take only the right kind of influence to bring her back to that glorious phase, you know. Oh, what a vision she could be. Imagine, Dani: a modern-day sex symbol heralding the return of an era that should never have been left—”

“She’s more than that,” Dani finally manages to grind out, curling her fingers into trembling fists behind her as she struggles to keep her composure. This woman, the way she talks about Jamie—it unnerves her, it enrages her, the way she’s painting Jamie like the brunette is nothing more than a pet project, a theory waiting fruition. Jamie’s more than that. Dani’s known Jamie for little less than a week and she knows Jamie is more than that. How could this person be so blind? “She’s not just some… some sex symbol for people to drool over. She’s a person who does what she wants, as she should, and she loves what she’s doing right now, and she’s so, _so_ good at it—”

“Do you think you were the first?” 

Dani stutters to a stop, blinking confusedly at the question.

Viola only grins, continues, “You know, she’s always had a thing for blondes. Cute little things like you. For the longest time I’ve known her, she’s always sought them out in crowds, brought them home with us, sent them on their way come morning—”

“Look,” Dani finally interrupts with a snap, curling her fingers into the hem of her shirt in an effort to keep herself contained. “I don’t know why you’re telling me all of this, but I also don’t really care. Whatever you’re doing isn’t gonna work on me.”

“What won’t work?” Viola has the audacity to look confused, arching an impeccable eyebrow as she looks to peer at her nails. “Tell me, Dani, was it? What would you do if you woke up and she wasn’t in your bed anymore?”

What Dani feels is less hesitation and more annoyance, because what’s the point, really? What’s the point of telling her all these things? To make her leave? To chase her away? _Tough luck_ , Dani thinks, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her chin to stare defiantly back at Viola, lifting an eyebrow of her own. _I’ll stay here as long as I want to._

“Dani!”

Dani refuses to tear her gaze away from Viola as she hears Owen’s frantic call, the rush of footsteps as he stumbles closer with Michael close on his heels. For all the running she’s done in her life—running from herself, then running from everyone else—she’ll have to put her foot down on this one. She isn’t running. Viola can come push and shove all she’d like, but Dani will stay, because Dani likes it here, and she allows herself the confidence that everyone else does, too. 

“Owen,” Viola greets passively, although their stand-off doesn’t break. If anything, Dani thinks Viola might be posturing, sizing her up, chancing a quick once-over as Dani keeps her head held high. “Must it always be a confrontation between us, dear? How’s Hannah?”

“Viola,” Owen murmurs in return, and though his voice is the same, steady calm as she’s always known it, his tongue is hard and pointed, tentative as it greets the woman before them, like how one would regard a threat. “I trust you haven’t been bothering our friend Dani, have you?”

“Of course not,” Viola simpers faintly, “I’m only making myself familiar with your new… addition.”

“I’m afraid she isn’t interested in bein’ familiar with you,” comes another voice, and though the temptation to turn and herald Jamie’s approach flares in her chest, Dani holds Viola’s gaze, almost daring her to be the first to move.

And move she does, Dani watching with a soft puff of victory as her cold eyes shift to the space just over Dani’s shoulder.

“Such hostility,” Viola muses, eyes sweeping from her face to Jamie’s, free of nary a crack. “I was only being friendly. Such a shame that you’ve turned out to be this way, Jamie. A shame, indeed.”

With that, Viola walks off—and Dani startles when she feels Jamie brush past, angrily stomping to catch up to her, but then she reaches out and wraps a gentle hand around the brunette’s wrist, flinching when she feels the slightest tug of resistance in response. “Jamie…"

“I hate her,” she hears Jamie mutter darkly, and Dani watches as the brunette finally turns to look back at her: brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, lips a harsh line and half-snarled when she pulls a ragged breath into her lungs. “I'm so sick of her games, Dani. _Christ_ —"

"Jamie," she calls again, her grasp crawling down to fit itself into Jamie's hand, tugging—gently, always gently—closer until she can see the same hazel irises she recognises under the lurking storm of her angry gaze. She reaches up, cups a tentative palm around Jamie's cheek, breath held shallowly in her lungs until, like rain giving way, the brunette leans into her touch, brows still furrowed but lips easing into a grimace, ghosts of anger ebbing away.

"I know," Jamie acquiesces with a shaky sigh, raising her own palm to press Dani's hand harder against her cheek. "I know."

— 🎸 —

The van is eerily quiet by the time they're headed back towards the motel.

Dani flashes a look at the rearview mirror, lips pressing together when she sees the dark faces looking down at the floor, out the window, up at the ceiling—shaken, she thinks, by Viola's audacity. For all that they've accepted their fates, destined not to be signed but together nevertheless, it must still be daunting to be reminded by the fact that they are where they are because of somebody else's petulance. 

Dani doesn't know quite how to go about it. She is not part of their band, not in the official sense at least, nor had she been around when it all happened. Still, her heart aches for the group and all that they've been through, and to see them so hopeless is such a painful contrast to their usual lively demeanour that she has to do something. 

Something that connects with them. Words are feeble things, after all; they crumble under weight unless they are firmly supported, so what better way to speak to them than through their own language?

Grinning, she takes her phone out of the glove compartment and reaches for the radio, grabbing the aux cable and plugging it into the port.

"Poppins, what—" 

She turns to Jamie, eyeing the persistent hard set of her jaw. "Trust me?" 

"Of course."

Dani leans forward and presses a quick kiss to the rise of Jamie's shoulder, the most she can reach with her seatbelt pressing against her chest, and then she's sinking back and scrolling through her Spotify until—there, yes, that should work, she thinks.

She sets her phone on the dashboard and waits for the beat to start, opening her mouth when it does to sing along to a song she believes, without a doubt, that they know by heart. Seems like the kind of song they'd be into, anyway.

" _We're not gonna take it._  
 _No, we ain't gonna take it._  
 _We're not gonna take it anymore_."

She sees them perk up, one by one, eyes flashing in the dark as the melody picks up, disturbing the air with an energy born not out of anger but out of determination. Even Jamie, eyes stuck on the road, has started smirking bit by bit, trying to crush the expression out of lingering rage but failing rather miserably, fingers bouncing against the steering wheel.

" _We've got the right to choose and there ain't no way we'll lose it;_  
 _This is our life, this is our song._  
 _We'll fight the powers that be just, don't pick our destiny 'cause_  
 _You don't know us, you don't belong_."

Michael's tapping the beat against the window, then on his thigh, knee bouncing to match the rhythm. Rebecca's humming along, stopping, then humming again, brows folding together as she matches her higher pitch with Owen's own lower ones, leaning forward from the back seat. Even Hannah has started nodding along, watching the road pass by outside the window.

" _We're not gonna take it._  
 _No, we ain't gonna take it._  
 _We're not gonna take it anymore_."

Dani doesn't even bother hiding her smile, turning her gaze back to Jamie and delighting when she sees the wide grin bloom across her face. The last of the night's worries finally fall away, peeling off to reveal a shine that burns when they stop behind a red light, washing Jamie's face in a soft crimson that camouflages the flush of her cheeks—but Dani knows it's there, thinks she can feel it from her place in the passenger's seat. 

" _Oh, you're so condescending, your gall is never-ending;_  
 _We don't want nothing, not a thing, from you._  
 _Your life is trite and jaded, boring and confiscated._  
 _If that's your best, your best won't do_."

Michael finally bursts forth, ducking his head between her and Jamie's seats to croon closer to the radio, shoving Rebecca to the side on accident and causing the other woman to bellow into surprised laughter. That's all it takes, really, Michael happily singing along, heralding another scattering of giggling, followed by the others finally giving in.

" _We're right, yeah!_  
 _We're free, yeah!_  
 _We'll fight, yeah!_  
 _You'll see, yeah!_

 _We're not gonna take it._  
 _No, we ain't gonna take it._  
 _We're not gonna take it anymore._ "

Michael ducks away and slaps his hands against his thighs to match the beat, Owen mimicking the bassline as he throws his arm around Hannah's shoulders, the other shooting forward to ruffle at Rebecca's hair in front of him. Rebecca laughs and pulls away, colliding into Michael, Michael colliding into his side of the van, cackling all the way. 

Dani watches it happen through the mirror, the sudden shift, the charged air giving way to passion; watches it happen through Jamie too when her gaze falls, tension replaced by growing ease as the brunette reaches over the console for her hand. Dani doesn't even hesitate to give it, doesn't even hesitate to sigh when their fingers interlock, grip gentle yet solid as thumbs trip over knuckles, rubbing reverently.

" _We're not gonna take it!_  
 _No, we ain't gonna take it!_  
 _We're not gonna take it anymore!_ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right so, would you believe this was actually written all the way back february 19? it's been a hot minute.
> 
> let me be frank, i'm not the biggest fan of this chapter, but i liked the ending, i think? hopefully it gets better from here, because i've got so many plans for this universe and i'm rly excited to take you all with me (and by plans, i mean, PLANS, like honest to god i have an actual plan and i'm not just winging it like i did the first... half or so of this fic jfdlksjlksd).
> 
> anyway, if you think this is the last we'll see of viola, think again—like, really, think again, because she's not going down just like that. neither is our favourite band of idiots!
> 
> as always, thank you so much to everyone for their continued support of this fic. your kind words always keep me going 💚 and, of course, special thanks to obsetress, myflyinghorsez, and a_sapphic_disaster for literally being my source of serotonin these past few days. literally, i am forever grateful. i don't deserve any of you 😭 like, i'm gonna take this time to absolutely say that i am forever honoured and thrilled and thankful... and it's 8pm and i already feel disgustingly emotional and sappy in this house jldjfskfsd
> 
> now, to get back to writing chapter 18 so that we can actually GET SOMEWHERE (that's a hint, by the way 😉)
> 
> i love you all. please wash your hands, wear your masks, and stay safe!
> 
> 👉😎👉


	15. Chapter 15

Caesius had been, perhaps, one of the best few days of Dani's life. Nevermind the fact that she'd lived practically her whole life trudging from one bad day to the next, so it's not like competition is tough; the previous week had been, without a shadow of doubt, an enjoyable affair she knows she'll always remember fondly in the future. Not only had she met Jamie, who is quickly becoming a welcome fixture in her life, she had also found a genuine family in Hannah, Owen, Michael, and Rebecca. 

Good things, however, must come to an end—or, at the very least, a tentative halt as, come Wednesday, Dani finds herself stumbling back into Jamie's apartment with a long sigh, furiously tugging off her kitten heels and placing them on the rack by the door.

Much has certainly changed between then and now, but some unfortunate things remain: unfortunate things like another interview that doesn't work out, another call that doesn't come, and it's starting to get incredibly frustrating because she had given it all her—she _always_ gives it her all—and she thought she had done really well, until—

"Rough day?" 

She turns and blinks slowly, finds Michael sat on the couch with fingers mashing the buttons of his controller. Dani's eyes stray to the television set to find him playing a game—something with cars and… soccer balls? "Is that soccer with cars?" 

"It's called football," Michael snorts in answer, eyebrows pulling down in concentration. "It's also called Rocket League." 

Dani makes a noncommittal noise as she collapses into the other end of the couch. "Well, I can see why," she comments, watching as the car closest to the screen launches into the air to hit the ball, sending it careening into the net on the opposite side just seconds before the timer runs out. She lets out a little cheer as Michael hollers his success, rises onto his feet, and performs a playful bow. "Well done!" 

"Thank you," Michael laughs before settling back into the couch. "Right then. What can we do to turn that Dani Clayton frown upside-down? Apart from James, of course."

Dani can only sigh, tugging her hair out of the haphazard bun she'd tossed it in after her last interview. "Job-hunting isn't doing very well. Did you know this is the sixth au pair job in Bly I've tried to go for?" She scrunches her nose at that. "They keep saying I'm too American." 

"Well, you are—" 

Dani grabs the throw pillow between them and swings it playfully against his shoulder. "I'm being serious," she chides, although she doesn't really make the effort to hide her amused smile. "At this rate, I'll probably have to find a smaller apartment to rent, and I already live in a shoebox."

The fizzle of a can tab opening fills the air. Michael tips his head, murmuring around his beverage, "Dunno why you can't just live here with us. You've got a key and everythin'."

"I can't just bum off of you and Jamie." Although, Dani thinks, she'd be lying if she says she hasn't thought about it once or twice—or many times, if she's really being honest with herself. "Besides, it's barely been two weeks. Don't you think that's weird?" 

"Weird's just somethin' society made up to shame nonconformists," Michael scoffs. "My girlfriend taught me that. Anyway, look, m'not gonna force you to shack up with us, but if you ever need a place to move into, what better place than here, yeah?" 

The smile Michael offers is genuine, bright and toothy and not unlike his sister's, and it never fails to blow Dani away, the way these people have accepted her so easily, so openly, into their tiny little group. If anything, the fact that Michael's the first one to have suggested her moving in says a lot about the family she's found herself a part of.

"Thanks, Mikey—" 

The sound of the door opening startles them both, Dani quickly turning over her shoulder and feeling a smile bubble up to her face at the sight of Jamie marching through the threshold with a bag of groceries. The brunette leans against the door, holding it open, motioning inside with a toss of her head—

"Ellie!" The couch shifts as Michael gets up to his feet in an instant, running for the open doorway to swallow up the smaller redhead that appears in a tight hug. "I've missed ya, bug."

"I'm sorry about missing your show, ted," the woman sighs into his shoulder. "I didn't think they were gonna reschedule my class and you know—" 

"Shh, Ellie-bug, it's alright," Michael laughs into her hair. "You've got a degree to get. S’okay, bug, s’okay.”

Dani ducks her head with a smile, slipping past the cuddling couple to approach Jamie, grinning when the brunette regards with a soft look that eases some of the weight off of her shoulders. “Let me help,” Dani offers quietly, reaching out for one of the bags and carrying it to the kitchen, only stopping when Jamie reaches for her as she passes by and giggling under her breath when she feels a kiss pressed against her cheek.

“Missed ya,” Jamie husks against her, lips sweeping up to her temple for one last touch before slinking away, and then they’re sorting the groceries to their respective places. She follows the brunette’s lead, putting items away on shelves and cupboards, humming softly as they go along. “You’ve been waitin’ long? How’s the interview?”

“Don’t think I got it,” she admits with a soft sigh, opening the fridge to place the eggs in their tray. “It’s alright, though. I still have some of my savings for two more months of rent.”

“Poppins,” comes Jamie’s gentle hiss, and Dani turns to find the brunette eyeing her with brows knitting together across her forehead. Slowly, Jamie closes the overhead cupboard that she’s finished loading with cup noodles and approaches, a hand reaching out to tuck into Dani’s own.

“I’ve got this, Jamie,” she reassures with a smile, melting when Jamie leans forward to sweep a kiss across her cheek reassuringly. “Really. If I need help, you know I’ll let you know.”

“I know you do,” the brunette grunts, reaching over to place the last egg on the tray before closing the fridge and backing Dani against it. Their foreheads knock together softly, Dani’s breath spilling from her lungs as Jamie captures her lips in a tender kiss that sends her heart pounding in her chest, the way it often does whenever Jamie’s involved. “Talk more later?”

“Of course,” Dani breathes out, skating her nose against Jamie’s before pulling away, eager to help Jamie put away the rest of the stuff she’s brought. “Are we gonna pick everyone up tomorrow?”

“No, said they’ll meet us there,” Jamie answers, squinting down at a jar of chocolate spread and frowning. “Huh. Bollocks. Got the wrong brand.”

They manoeuvre around each other in relatively easy silence, flashing small smiles and fleeting kisses as they open drawers and cupboards and pantries alike, setting aside Jamie’s haul as the younger couple chatters quietly in the living room. It doesn’t take long, however, for both partners to start spilling into each other’s space, the young redhead walking over to Dani and throwing out her hand.

“Eloise Spencer,” the woman greets, flashing a kind smile as Dani takes her hand and gives it a firm shake. She’s around Michael’s age, she thinks—much smaller than him, certainly, but she has a more palpably mature air around her. Her arms, Dani notes, are laden with different kinds of tattoos, from outlined to coloured to shaded, from the backs of her fingers to the rise of her shoulders until they’re disappearing into the material of her shirt. “People just call me Ellie.”

“Dani Clayton,” Dani answers in kind. “Used to be Danielle, but I like Dani better.”

“Pleased to meet you, Dani. You know, Mikey couldn’t shut up about you over text,” Ellie points out, flashing a teasing grin over her shoulder at an increasingly-pink Michael. “Something about giving Jamie a run for her—”

“Ellie,” Michael groans, stumbling over to scoop Ellie up over his shoulder. The young woman only laughs, pounding playfully at his back, complaining all the way as he carries her back to the living room and sets her down back on the couch.

“You both like her,” Ellie snorts teasingly, pointing at both siblings. “Not in the same way, obviously, but you like her a tonne. Puppies, the both of you!”

“Alright,” Jamie interrupts with a sigh, although Dani can see that the corners of her lips are upturned to stamp down a growing smile. “Right, you kids are cookin’ dinner, yeah?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the redhead responds with a coy salute that she must’ve gotten from Michael. “Please accept my offering of freshly-cooked honey garlic salmon on java rice as an apology for missing the Caesius show.”

“Bug, you know it’s all well and—”

“S’all good,” Jamie butts in with a billowing grin, “but would you mind cookin’ for us anyway? Michael’s shite in the kitchen.”

Michael lets out a truly undignified sound, pressing a hand to his chest in feigned offence. “As if you’re any better, James!”

“Better than you, at least.” Before Michael can squawk his next insult, Jamie’s grabbing her by the hand and leading her towards the bedroom, yelling, “Call us when you need us, you heathens!”

With a flurry of feet and a moderate slam of a door to make her point, the pair finally finds themselves alone in Jamie’s space, the brunette tugging her over to the edge of the bed before sitting down, patting her lap until Dani’s sliding onto it with a soft sigh. Jamie’s arms immediately loop around her waist, pulling her close.

“They’re cute together,” Dani muses with a tip of her head, relaxing into Jamie’s embrace. She feels fingertips immediately reach up, tangling at the edges of her hair, tugging softly and rhythmically as she tears off her blazer without making the effort to pull away, because she doesn't quite feel like she could at the moment. “How long have they been together?"

"Since they were sixteen," Jamie answers, helping her unbutton her shirt until she can wrench it off her arms. When she's finally in nothing but her bra and slacks, Jamie's arms tug her close, and she gladly buries her face into the crook of the brunette's neck, sighing to let the last of the tension ease off of her shoulders. "Sweethearts, they are. Makes me bloody miserable."

"No," she laughs quietly, nosing into the collar of Jamie's flannel and tugging playfully at the chain around her neck. "They don't."

"They don't," Jamie acquiesces easily, and then they're both pitching backwards onto the mattress.

Dani allows herself to get comfortable on top of Jamie, tucking her head under the brunette's chin as the hands on the small of her back settle into scratching soothing patterns onto her skin. It's enough to relax her completely, shedding the rest of the inhibitions crawling across her skin until she feels safe, until she feels boneless, until she feels like she can answer when Jamie asks her about her day a second time.

"I'll have to try again when we get back," she admits quietly, nosing into the hollow of Jamie's neck. "Maybe check for the next city over for any leads."

"You got this," Jamie encourages, carding deft fingers through her hair before tugging her higher. Dani follows immediately, bracing herself up onto her arms to crawl up, until she's face-to-face with the brunette. "Think you'll find one. Think they'll be linin' up at your door eventually."

It's different from Michael's support. Instead of offering her a place to stay, which she wouldn't necessarily mind either, Jamie is believing that she can, that she will. The sincerity shining in Jamie's hazel eyes, a colour Dani has since started to memorise, is a testament to that. As early as now, Dani knows Jamie will gladly have her around if she ever needs a place to stay; at the same time, as early as now, Dani also knows Jamie doesn't think she'll need it.

"Are you trying to infect me with your ego?" 

"Why, is it workin'?"

The flash of a grin framed between a curtain of blonde hair is too much to ignore. Dani dips down onto her elbows, capturing the brunette's lips in a lazy kiss, laughing softly when Jamie's fingers start running up and down her sides. For all the times they've done this since meeting, which is, quite frankly, every day since then, kissing Jamie is as much a delightful surprise as it had been the first time; Jamie's lips are soft and pliant for all her feigned bluster, and they always mould so differently around hers, never the same movement twice. Less constant, Dani thinks. Less stagnant. 

Less stagnant, with Jamie giving her lip a quick nip instead of the usual bite-and-tug. Less stagnant, with Jamie switching from something deep to something light. Less constant, with Jamie kissing a path higher on her face instead of lower. Less stagnant, when her lips pucker and press against the crest of Dani's eyebrow. Less stagnant, always, and that's good, because Dani is so tired of stagnant.

Stagnant had been Eddie. Jamie is a different thing altogether.

Living in the moment, living their truth as they see fit. Unbound by pacing, unbound by convention, unbound by the norm.

"What's on your mind?" Jamie murmurs against her temple, picking up on Dani's introspection—how odd, for her to know these cues so quickly, and yet, at the same time, it isn't very odd at all. 

"Just this," Dani breathes quietly, tucking her face back under Jamie's jaw and pressing a modest kiss against the skin she finds. "Just how much I like this."

For seconds, for minutes, for hours—Dani isn't quite sure how long time passes, too comfortable in Jamie's arms to turn over her shoulder and look at the time. It's not as if it matters, anyhow. Tonight, she doesn't have to retreat to her tiny apartment to regain some semblance of—

Jamie's gone still.

Jamie's gone completely, utterly still.

"Jamie?"

Dani raises her head and watches as the brunette sucks in a sharp breathe before expelling it with a heaving sigh. The sound itself, so empty and hollow, is enough to make Dani hold herself up again, watching the way Jamie's eyebrows crease in confusion.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asks, reaching over to tuck a spiral of hair behind Jamie's ears. For a second, the brunette only continues to stare at the ceiling, blinking slowly, as if rousing from a deep sleep. "Jamie?" 

"We got a call this mornin'," Jamie starts, arm still hooked around her waist, fingertips tucking into the hem of her slacks. "Wanted to talk, at first. He—he said we had potential, if we were ever interested."

"Jamie, that's—" 

"But," comes the soft interruption, a flash of an apologetic smile, "Think you’ll get a kick outta this. Guess who endorsed us to the bloke?”

Dani’s veins turn to ice. It doesn’t take Sherlock to figure out who it is, given the rapid cadence of the heartbeat pounding underneath her palm. Besides, if it's any other person of influence, would Jamie look this spooked over the prospect of finally making it big?

“Viola,” Dani breathes out.

“Lady Lloyd herself.”

“Why—I don’t get it, I thought…” She pushes herself back onto her palms, squinting down confusedly at Jamie. “I thought she didn’t want you guys to get famous.”

“She didn’t,” Jamie sighs, reaching up to cup her cheek, pinching it gently between a crooked forefinger and the pad of her thumb. Dani can’t help but snort when the brunette tugs at it lightly, wavering the anxious frown that had settled on her face. “You can see the crossroads I’m on? He’s offerin’ a dream at the cost of supporting a Lady Lloyd tour."

“He wants you to go on tour with Viola?” Dani plucks at the strap of Jamie's overalls—dungarees, as Jamie insists on calling them—and tries her hardest not to feel concerned. After leaving Caesius, they had all assumed it would be the last they'll ever hear of her until, likely, the next time the Poltergeists have a gig down South; it's clear, however, that Viola has other ideas.

“ _Viola_ wants us to go on tour with Viola,” Jamie corrects. “Riddle me this: after keepin’ us in the dirt for who knows how long because she’s petty and possessive, why do ya think she wants us to be on tour with her now?”

Considering Viola's reaction to her presence, Dani can't help but assume the older woman isn't extending an olive branch out of the goodness of her heart. She'd be lying if she says she isn't worried, but it isn't her place to form an opinion on the matter. Close as she may be to the band already, she isn't a part of it. Even more, she's not the one Viola hurt the most, it's Jamie, so Dani holds back an annoyed retort and asks, instead, "What are you gonna do?" 

"Not sure," the woman beneath her hums, palms slipping into her back pockets and cupping her close. "It's a good opportunity, but I don't think I can stand bein' so close to Viola for such a long time."

Jamie is being too loose despite the stiffness in her movements, the stutter of her breath. Her jaw is held a little too tightly, a little too stubbornly, only to release like she's suddenly aware she's doing it and would rather pretend she isn't; her brows are creased, furrowed together, pulled low on her face the way it does whenever she's uncomfortable with something but trying her hardest not to put it into words. Two weeks in, and Dani is already learning what Jamie looks like when she's conflicted, but Dani doesn't know her well enough to determine whether Jamie wants her to pull away or push on.

"Jamie," she calls gently, lowering herself down until their foreheads are knocking together. "Tell me what's going on in your head."

"I don't think I want to think about it right now," the brunette admits quietly, words spilling into the small pillow of air between them. "S'not immediate, anyway. We've still got a couple of gigs lined up. 'Sides, I'm pretty occupied as it is already, it turns out."

To make her point, Dani feels the hands in her pockets squeeze gently, and for all the concern she feels towards this new predicament, she can't help but snort in amusement. "You're relentless—" 

"And you aren't?"

"I didn't say that," Dani hums, and then they're kissing again, Jamie's palms pushing her hips down, guiding her to rock slowly. She complies easily enough, warmth pooling at the base of her gut, but even through the unravelling haze of familiar want, she knows the discussion is only over for the night, not permanently. "Just know that, whatever you decide, I'll be right behind you all the way."

"You sure?" Jamie's lips tick up into something smug, self-satisfied, the brunette ducking lower to slide a kiss across her neck. "'Cause you're on top of me right now. You know that, right, Poppins?" 

"Owen is rubbing off on you," she teases back, moving her head to nibble at the shell of Jamie's ear, humming pleasantly when the brunette arches up into her. "Should fix that with a little rubbing of our own."

"That's just as horrible," Jamie scoffs, even as Dani feels her hand snake up and unclasp her bra with a quick pluck. "Absolutely terrible, Miss Clayton—" 

"Oi! Dinner's ready!" 

They spring apart with such a sudden force from Michael's call that Dani nearly keels over backwards and onto the floor, only stopping when both of Jamie's hands shoot out to catch her by the wrists. "Poppins," the brunette chides, tugging her back onto a less-precarious position. "Knew you were fallin' for my charm, but I don't think you need to make it so literal."

"You," Dani starts in response, pulling one hand free to poke at Jamie's stomach, "are annoying."

Jamie only offers a waggish smirk, sitting up to meet her and pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips. "Psh, like you don't like it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dreadfully sorry about the delay! my single brain cell has been struggling the past few days, unfortunately, and writing the buffer has been slow going as a result of that.
> 
> in truth, i don't like this chapter At All™. so, to make up for it, chapter 16 will be up in two days' time. it's (hopefully) much better than this one.
> 
> special thanks to A_Sapphic_Disaster for helping me figure out ellie's whole vibe! i've had her for only two weeks and i wholly adore her already. 
> 
> i love you all. please keep safe 💜✨


End file.
